Why Does He Care?
by finnysea
Summary: Cat!Romano can't seem to understand why Cat!Spain likes him so much, nor why Antonio stays by Lovino. Hopefully, he'll be able to figure that out. Nekotalia and some good ol' Spamano. I do not own Hetalia!
1. Cats and Spaniards

Laying in the shade of his back porch, Romano snoozed, curled in a ball. White ears flicked away the crimson ladybugs that swirled in the clear air. Warm, inviting sunlight sneaked in and kissed his brown fluffy forehead, as if to praise him for napping. Napping in pure silence was a joyful daily thing to the small brown and white cat. His owner, Lovino Vargas, was tending to his Roma tomatoes, the most cherished items to the Italian. The fruits had ripened to a bright scarlet; perfect for picking. Romano never quite understood why Lovino spent about an hour everyday out here in the hot sun, especially right now in summer. Even so he followed the young man outside everyday simply because he had nothing better to do. However, there was a consequence to going outside. Romano knew very well the bliss of his quiet siesta would soon end due to—

"ROMA! Are you there~?" screamed the squeal from over the tall wooden fence that separated two yards.

"_Scossa*_! Spain, get out of my yard," Romano hissed. "It's my freaking yard; why wouldn't I be here?"

"You might have moved…how would I have found Roma then? I'd be lost, I tell you, lost! I wouldn't even be able to find my stuffed turtle! It's not like I can find him now, but that's not the point~!" Spain (odd name for a cat, no?) meowed in his defense.

Spain happened to belong to the Spanish man next door. Bigger that Romano and marked with brown on a white fuzzy surface, Spain could overpower the smaller housecat if he felt like it. However, being an airhead of a mammal ("Roma, I'm not a camel! They have humps on their backs!") Spain didn't have the brainpower to lord over Romano. Annoying Romano, however, was an easy task.

"I came here to see what you were doing~!" Spain chirped.

"Oh, you know, plotting to send you to the darkest part of the universe. Any other questions?" Romano scoffed.

"….Can I bring a nightlight with me to the darkest part of the universe?" Spain whimpered. "And that's mean—wait! You're taking a siesta! Can I join? My daddy doesn't get home for some time. I have a cat door, but I'd rather sleep with Roma~!"

Ignoring how wrong the last part of Spain's monologue sounded, Romano sighed. He really didn't have the energy to fight Spain on this right now. Moving to the side, Romano left space for the other feline to get close to him without being in the sun. Not like he cared if that jerk got sunburned! He could be on fire for all Romano cared! Yet, as Romano noticed, it wasn't half bad to have Spain cuddled next to him. Two fluffy tails intertwined as Spain purred his approval. Romano snorted and went back to sleep with his new hot water bottle curled around him.

* * *

><p>About an hour or so later, Romano woke up, Spain still sleeping ("Mr. Turtle, don't run away from me! You can't run~!"). Romano knew this peace would come to an end in a moment's time. Lovino had finished watering the last plant and was walking over to his <em>gatto* <em>on the back porch. Lovino was very fond of Spain's handsome owner—yes, yes, fangirls, you may start with the girly screams of joy—and Romano often found them talking together in Lovino's house-Antonio talking and Lovino cursing, that is. Romano didn't like Antonio; he was too cheerful for his grumpy likes. However, Lovino seemed to worry less and be more open whenever Antonio was around. The cat was thrilled that Lovino was pleased around Antonio. No, it was Spain he couldn't stand. How he loathed the entire feline: too big, empty-headed, a general pain in the tail, being too cute...wait a second! Dang it, he didn't think that! No, never! Sure Lovino may have fallen for his owner, but Romano had some pride, for god's sake! That wouldn't happen—

"God, Antonio! Keep your stupid cat out of my yard!" Lovino snapped at Antonio, who had just returned home from a meeting.

"Lovi~! Hello to you as well. I was just wondering where Spain was. Daw, look at the kitties! They're snuggling together! Let's copy 'em!" Antonio said happily.

In one quick motion, Antonio was hugging Lovino, who was semi-fighting back. Why the Spaniard was so affectionate to a man who basically neglected him, Romano had no idea. Same to Spain, Romano thought. Why did the feline come back day after day? He knew he had other friends, two of which were purebred perverts. Everyone loved Spain, though he and his friends were public enemy number one when in a trio. Maybe the other cat was just leading him on; there was probably a female cat Spain met around a corner when Romano wasn't looking. Looking at the humans, Romano questioned Antonio's honesty. Did even really go to work? Who in the world came home from an eight hour day smiling? Romano was determined to find out about each of the Spaniards, cat and man.

He supposed he could start now. Considering he had just finished his pre-nap, siesta time wasn't for another hour. Following Lovino, Romano padded into his house, accompanied by Spain and Antonio. First thing he noticed: Spain didn't walk. He pranced. He freaking_ pranced_. What was society coming to? Romano decided if he was going to figure out these two he needed to choose one to start with. Two Spaniards at once was a bit too much for anyone. Since Lovino took care of him and...took care of him-you try living with a grumpy Italian and see how that goes-Romano would work on Antonio first. Once the humans were seated on the couch, Romano leapt onto Antonio's lap and started to purr to get attention.

"Aw, Lovi, look~! Romano's being so sweet to me," Antonio cooed.

"Oh, please. He's probably going to tear your eyes out...hopefully," Lovino muttered.

Antonio took that as a cue to put an arm around "his" Lovi. Lovino, of course, angrily shook it off, only to have it put back on. Sighing, Lovino gave up and let Antonio have his way, but not without leaning on his chest a bit. Antonio's smile then could have blinded anyone. Romano took note of this and mentally wrote it down: "_Shows adoration_". He then moved to Lovino's lap.

"Ha, see—he likes me more. That's what happens when you take care of your cat, bastard," Lovino gloated. As if to make a point, Spain climbed into his owner's lap in defense.

"Yes, but now I've had both cats on me, so there! Even if I'm not quite sure where 'there' is...," Antonio said in triumph. When his Lovi looked defeated, Antonio took pity. "But then again, I've had Spain for so long, so he's not used to being so close to other people is all. I'm sure Romano loves you a bunch, just like a lot of people!"

"Will you just say it, jeez!" came Spain's reply, only to be heard by the humans in an angry meow. One moment...um, fangirls, I know you want this, but can you please stop the squealing for a bit? Thanks.

"Say what?" Romano said, tilting his head in an adorable way.

"Oh, my owner can be shy when he wants to be~! And sort of dull..well, that's all the time. He gets mad whenever he could have said what he needs to but roostered out," Spain said sadly.

"'Roostered out'? Don't you mean chic—screw it," Romano needed to get back to his research.

Throughout the rest of the evening, Romano kept a sharp eye on Lovino and Antonio. He watched them during some romantic movie with too many kissing scenes, a dinner of paella, and general cuddling on the couch. Through this all, Romano was on his best behavior. When Antonio wanted to pet him, he tolerated it. Every time Spain came near and wanted to play, play he got. Lovino got the same love and affection as he always did with some extra purrs. This was only because of his plan and nothing more.


	2. Playful Cats

However, Lovino was watching his jerk of a cat. Normally Romano bit or hissed at Antonio when he and Lovino were close, but now he seemed to enjoy the man's actions. Plus, Romano never gave into Spain's silly ways. What was that beast planning? As far as Lovino knew the feline could be plotting revenge on Antonio...but for what? Romano had a painful history of being violent with everyone, including young cousins trying to stroke his ears, his brother's boyfriend passing by, and even ladybugs rushing around. But, when he felt a sudden feeling of anger, Romano let his prey live for a while. He'd let little Nero pet his head for a bit. Then, when everyone was having a change of heart, he'd sink his sharp claws into the pale hand rubbing him.

Antonio did nothing. He knew from several experiences, one in particular involving a kitten and the couch, not to touch Romano. The Spaniard barely made eye contact if he could avoid it. Actually, maybe it wasn't really Antonio's relationship with Romano. Romano was prone to jealously: yowling because Spain had a new toy or playing dead since he wasn't getting enough attention. It could very possibly be Lovino's own fault…

Interrupting the love Antonio was lavishing him with, Lovino got up and scooped up Romano. Marching upstairs to his bedroom, Lovino dropped Romano on the double bed covered with a playful tomato pattern. Romano sported an innocent look at Lovino jabbed a finger in his face.

"Look, furball, I've taken care of you for four years. I saved you from starving in a park. The least you can do is not seek revenge or whatever on Antonio. He didn't do anything to you, nor will he, or I will personally kick him in the—never mind. But I swear, you keep this up and it's the shelter for you. I'd much rather lose you than Antonio. _Capire__, __gatto_*?" Lovino warned with no sign of kidding.

At the word 'shelter', a cold shock went through Romano's body. Romano was considering dropping his project now. He'd heard about the shelter and how drab, cold, and full of other cats it was. In fact, around the neighborhood if you were bad everyone called you a "shelter cat". It was a great insult. Once a female bit her owner and was shunned for a month by her fellow felines. His loved Lovino and he wished he could explain why he needed to construct this experiment. But, as all of us but Spain most likely know, cats can't talk. Nodding his furry head in understanding, Romano watched his owner storm down the stairs.

The minute Lovino left, Spain skipped into the room, looking worried. Why was his Roma taken upstairs? Well, maybe Antonio told Lovino that Spain was getting a talk, so maybe that's why. Or was his Roma in trouble? Oh, Spain thought, it's all my fault. Maybe the humans both wanted some private time with their cats to talk to them. Wait, that's crazy—but then again, Antonio had wanted to converse with him.

"Spain, I think I made Lovi mad, though. He went upstairs and he looked angry...did I come on too fast again? I try to go slow with this, but once again my stupid mouth-," Antonio never finished his sentence because Lovino stomped back down the stairs.

Spain wiped the memory out of his mind. Now his focus was on Romano. The cream colored feline lay crumpled like a ball of paper on the bed. Poor thing; he looked like he'd just had been yelled at. Spain was always one for pity and bringing people back up when they've fallen down. Sometimes even when they didn't want it. In one jump he landed on the bed beside Romano. He also meant to land on his face. He wondered why there were flat tomatoes on the bed. What a mess, Spain thought. Antonio would have a fit at all the tomatoes wasted.

"Roma, are you okay? Did Lovino yell at you? Roma..."Spain asked in a sea of worry.

Romano didn't say anything. He simply wanted someone to hold him right about now. He'd just been threatened with the most horrid punishment imaginable. The small cat could almost see the grey, empty world he'd been warned of. No more bright red tomato gardens, beautiful dew coated backyards dotted with yellow ladybugs, or four filling meals a day...just grey, grey, and grey. During these thoughts, Romano didn't notice Spain starting to lick behind his ears ever so gently. Flushing a shade of _rosa_*, Romano purred, encouraging Spain to keep going. Spain moved from Romano's head to his face, planting his ruff tongue on the other cat's cheeks. Loud, content purrs erupted from both mammals. Romano made sure he kept this in mind: "_Likes to comfort others."_ Meanwhile, something was going on downstairs.

* * *

><p>"Lovi, you're back! I'm really, really sorry for whatever I did to make you mad! I swear I didn't know, honestly. Please don't leave me! If you did leave, I might die. Or worse, all the tomatoes in the world would burst into flames! <em>Lo siento mucho!<em>"Antonio cried once Lovino got back downstairs.

Lovi— ack, Lovino!—blushed at Antonio's pathetic pleading. It was something he'd never seen before: the large, tanned Spanish man begging for his Lovi right there on the living room ("Lovi, is there a dead room?") carpet. However, another thought had him blush the perfect shade of the fruits in his garden. Lovino had felt something when he yelled at Romano. Those words…did he mean them? He sensed that there was another meaning to them. "I'd rather lose you than Antonio", was the phrase which got under his skin. He didn't really care about that idiot, did he? Well, looking back, it was hard to see when Lovino _didn't_ think about Antonio. Every single time Antonio was sick, Lovino was next to his bed, feeding him or holding a wet towel to his head. Also, at any time Antonio wanted to take his Lovi somewhere or do something, Lovino gave in after a few seconds of struggling. Why was it so hard for Lovino to fight him on anything? Being Lovino, he blamed Romano. Nursing the cat back to health as a tiny, scrawny _gattino*_ probably didn't help how tough he was. Then again, he had met Antonio in high school, long before he adopted Romano. They started to have a….relationship…..about 2 years before Romano stormed into the house, fluffy tail and all. But, of course, Lovino refused to believe this and charged his feline for making him feel like this.

"Lovi?" Antonio asked, concerned about the Italian before him.

"Just…just-," For the second time in one chapter, someone didn't finish a sentence. Methinks I need to teach Lovino and Antonio how to talk properly.

Lovino found himself wrapped in a worried Spaniard's loving arms. He thought about pushing Antonio away, but after realizing how much stronger and taller the other man was, he surrendered. Antonio leaned his head full of dark locks on Lovino's shoulder, making the embrace tender. Calming circles were traced in Lovino's amber hair (Antonio didn't dare go near the weird curl of hair). The Italian sighed in comfort. Antonio leaned forwards to get closer to his Lovi, but being the klutz Antonio is, the Italian was soon on the floor underneath the Spaniard. Lovino normally would have killed anyone else who fell on him, but with Antonio…did he want it? OK, Lovino thought, maybe I would have fallen for him even without the dumb cat. Now to find out….

Back upstairs in Lovino's bedroom, the cats were enjoying each other's company. No, that was a lie; Spain was enjoying his Roma. Romano, on the other hand, would much rather be trapped in a pen with three pit bulls and a crazy person. He hissed at Spain but the large cat answered with a laugh.

"Roma, hold still! How can we possibly cuddle when you keep struggling?" Spain asked.

"Wow, I wonder why I'm resisting, idiot! God, Spain! Get off! Your dad's downstairs; go play with him," Romano snarled, trying to get the larger feline off of him.

"I don't wanna play with daddy! I wanna play with Roma~! NYAAA!" Following the battle cry, Spain leapt onto Romano and started to purr like a motorboat.

Hissing, Romano squirmed until he could get under the bed and away from the Spanish cat. Another note was ready to be remembered: "_Playful; enjoys the company of others_". Romano could really care less about the jerk's need for cuddling; he had a human for that. Speaking of humans, Romano felt like he needed to apologize to Lovino. He was just being protective of Antonio, nothing more. Also, the pound was scaring him more than that creepy cat France. Walking out the bedroom door, Romano trotted down the stairs, only to be followed. Spain, as we all know and love, takes his 'daddy' Antonio as a model. As we also know, Antonio has no sense of balance. Well, take that thought and add it to a large cat, and what do you have? A faster way dawn the steps (to Spain) and a plummet to the tile floor (to Romano). Downstairs, however, was a scene both felines never thought they'd see.


	3. Locks, Lips, and Claws

Both Romano and Spain were in extreme shock. Their surprised expressions were almost human. Spain was in complete wonder while Romano was horrified. This, he thought, isn't happening. It can't. I'm-I'm not done with my r-research. I probably ate some bad pasta or something—yeah, that _has_ to be it! Way to go, daddy, Spain cheerfully thought (how he mustered that much brainpower to think we have no idea).

The felines were in alarm due to the scene that was presented before them. Antonio…Lovino…were _kissing_. They seemed to have fallen on the floor and now were holding each other. Obviously Antonio was in charge here and wrapped his muscular arms around the waist of his _novio_*. Lovino, who astonishingly seemed to be enjoying this, played with Antonio's dark tresses while leaning into the kiss. There was no sign of anger or force; they simply appeared to have done this on their own. Well, to be truthful, they had. Antonio had been encouraged by Spain's lover boy—uh, cat—ways and sought to show his Lovi how much he cared. Romano's note: "_Takes charge when things go…bad?_" The cat didn't know whether to call this good or bad. Spain and Romano weren't noticed until Lovino broke away.

"You…you…," Lovino tried to get the insult out yet failed.

"Love you too, Lovi. Hey, no peeking you two!" Antonio cooed, taking notice of their pets afterwards.

"Look who finally figures out if there're other people in the room, jerk. And fur—wait, what did you just say?" Lovino said in awe.

"_Te amo*_, Lovi. I bet if you took Spanish class like I wanted you to you might have learned it, but I'll tell you what it means anyway. You know, once I think about it, maybe it was cheating for a Spanish guy to take Spanish. Oh no, I'm a wanted man! I cheated in school! Lovi, I have to move to Guam, quick! I'll change my name, grow a mustache, wear a Hawaiian shirt—oh no! Spain hates traveling. Maybe I'll go to Canada for a few years…yeah, that's it!" Antonio cried, forgetting Lovino's question.

"What the crap does it mean?" Lovino half-yelled at Antonio.

"'_Te amo_' means 'I love you', which is what I said before. I felt like it was time for me to say that, is all. Does Lovi feel the same way?" Spain asked, eyes begging for a yes.

But he didn't get anything. Shoving Antonio off of him, Lovino went over to the cats and scooped Spain into the crook of his arm with little kindness. With the cat still in his arm Lovino took Antonio by the hand and shoved him out the front door, throwing the Spaniard's cat out with him. Romano meowed for Spain but Lovino had already closed the door. Lovino slid down the door to the floor, his head in his hands. Sensing his owner's gloominess, Romano rubbed against his legs, purring. Looking down at Romano, Lovino stroked the cat for his sign of affection. Italian and cat stared at each other. Why did you lock Antonio out, Romano seemed to be asking. Because he's a jerk, Lovino's furrowed eyebrows shot back.

Outside on the porch, Antonio was mentally punching himself. He'd taken things too fast with Lovi! Antonio would never get him back now. But then again, he'd never forget that kiss. What passion, forgiveness, sparks! Antonio had had many girlfriends (and one weird night with his buddy Francis, but that's another story), but none could show love or kiss like Lovino Vargas. Even if he would get yelled at, punched, or locked out of his own house, Lovino was always there when Antonio needed him. For example, when Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis were drunk out of their minds ("Look, *hic* Francis! A purty *hic-hic* butter-*hic*-by!"), Lovino came and drove all of them home. Then he was kind enough to stay up with the drunken Antonio until he was sober in the wee hours of the morning. One of the times Antonio enjoyed greatly was while Antonio was cooking. Lovino sat on the counter, refusing to help as always. But he carefully watched Antonio, making sure the idiot didn't burn himself or cut off a finger while slicing tomatoes.

But there was something about Lovino Antonio couldn't stop thinking about now. Whenever Lovino stayed the night, he'd sleep in Antonio's double bed with him. Once he was asleep, Antonio got a chance to simply watch his Lovi. The peachy color of his smooth skin, the steady rise of his chest, the amber color of his hair was complemented by the swirling hair curl, and the best part—a tiny smile on his finally calm face. It was pure beauty.

Now Antonio had lost those things he'd dearly loved. He thought about knocking on the door and pleading for the man to let him inside again. Nevertheless, even if he was crying, Lovino wouldn't let him back in. Ever.


	4. Depression Do You Love Me Still?

It was almost a week after Lovino locked Antonio out when Romano saw Spain again. From a small hole in the fence putting space between the two backyards, Romano could check on Spain. Being the oblivious cat he is it took Spain a matter of days to catch Romano's brown eye peeping in on him. The oversized feline was ecstatic; his best friend was back! Spain couldn't resist the urge; he launched himself at the fence, thinking Lovino was right in front of him, not behind a fence. But then again if the fence hadn't been there Romano would have been crushed under all seventeen pounds of Spain. The entire wooden fence rattled with the impact, sending Romano backwards and causing Lovino to look up from his gardening.

Spain had really needed the pickup. Since the breakup, Antonio had simply gotten up only to feed Spain and himself, and then went back to bed. Never had he seen the Spanish man so demoralized. The poor feline spent hours every day trying to coax Antonio out of his room: bringing him toys, licking his hands, purring endlessly under the covers with him, but all with no success. The man was too heartbroken at the time. Given that Spain was a cat he'd had no really "relationships" or "dates", so he couldn't figure out how one person could destroy someone so badly.

"What the heck?….Oh. Hey Spain," Lovino said, petting the bulky cat on the head. "Where's your owner, hm? How'd you get outside anyway? Ug, that idiot. He forgot to lock his door again. He's going to get robbed…maybe I should check on him…"

Sitting on his much-too-large-for-one-person bed, Antonio was thinking of his Lovino. What a fool he'd been; someone has attractive, smart, and wonderful as Lovino wouldn't want to waste their time with a pathetic person like Antonio. Usually Antonio would be outside tending to his favorite little tomatoes right about now, a common love to both men. But for some reason they didn't matter all that much anymore. Do tomatoes wake you up in the mornings? Probably not. Can _tomates_* go on an evening jog with you, even if they didn't want to? Tomatoes have no legs, so the answer is no. If you're upset about something at work or had a dispute with your best friends, did the red fruits let you talk it out and offer to help? Please don't tell Antonio this, but tomatoes have no vocal cords thus they cannot utter words. Yes, Lovino could be coldhearted or angry, but deep down—very, very deep down; we're talking rock bottom here—Lovino was loving, sensitive, and full of promise. Lovino's rare smiles were like jewels. His amber eyes were similar to the stone. His body—OK, Antonio's thoughts get really…Francis-like here, so we'll cut this out. What a second: if Lovino's wasn't Antonio's boyfriend, then whose was he?

"Antonio! Open the damn door!" Lovino shouted as he pounded on the front door. To help, Romano and Spain clawed at the entrance with their sharp talons while mewing up a storm.

Antonio was quite sure it was a mirage. It had to be. Spain's meowing also had to be fake. Why would any of them care about him in the first place? Lovino only reason for being here was probably to boast about his brand spanking new boyfriend. The upset Spaniard imagined the man Lovino deserved: tall, curly chocolate locks, slightly tanned, beautiful emerald eyes, and a strong pair of adoring arms to wrap around Lovino's waist. No, that description doesn't sound like any Spanish man named Antonio we know. God, if that happened; Antonio would seriously end it all. Maybe it was his Lovi screaming at the door. Struggling off the bed, Antonio looked out the window to the front yard. Lovino was kicking angrily at the door, coming very close to knocking it down.

"LOVI~!" Antonio cried, his cheerfulness suddenly back.

However, as he happily shouted his past love's nickname, Lovino had given up and turned away. Hearing his pet name, he tensed up, not wanting the neighbors to heed it. Yet it was much too late for that. Toris, the Lithuanian across the street, gazed up from his book on his back porch. What the heck was going on? He was used to the many loud sounds of the two men squealing (you'd be scarred if you asked why) at night but what the heck was a "Lovi"? Alfred, the idiot (American) who lived with his Canadian brother Matthew, woke up from a dream about hamburgers from England fighting slushies.

"Santa?" He said sleepily.

But, anyways, let's get back to our main people, shall we? Lovino had turned away; face bright red from the growing blush on his face. Romano and Spain trotted after a now angry Italian. It was very rare when Lovino had good intentions for _ANYONE_, so Antonio just wasted what may have been his last turn in this game.

"Lovi?..." Antonio whimpered.


	5. Romano's Phone Call

The week after Antonio had cruelly been ignored and walked away from, the Spaniard got up his courage. Courage to do what? The powerful courage to pick up the phone and call Lovino. This act was brave due to how early in the day it was. Being Lovino, sleeping in was quite a joy to him. Also he didn't accept being woken up for any means. Said means included Romano wanting to be let outside to Lovino's brother Feliciano having his hair curl, which was similar to Lovino's with the exception of being on the other side of Feliciano's head, stuck in the blender. Actually, it was Lovino who put the hair piece in the blender on accident, yet it was siesta time, and siesta time is siesta time, whether of not your younger brother was screaming for help.

A phone rang at the Vargas household. Romano was jerked awake from a peaceful catnap. Who the crap was calling at this hour—the time was 4:00 PM-! On the couch, Lovino shifted in his sleepy state. Good god, if the Italian woke up the rest of the week would be an angry nightmare for everyone. The rages, the items thrown across the carpet—Romano really didn't want to deal with that. Nuzzling the home telephone off its hook, Romano meowed into the device.

"Hi…Lovi~? What happened to you?" Antonio's Spanish accent inquired.

"Meow."

"Lovino? You ok? Are you feeling well because I think you might have a bit of a cough?"

"Meowrr…*hiss*."

"Are you still mad? Lovi, I'm coming over there right now!" And with that the phone was hung up.

And what the Spanish man was true. Within fifteen seconds, the doorbell was ringing rapidly. Lovino twitched in his sleep. Here comes the storm clouds, Romano thought. Antonio then remembered he had a spare key to Lovino's home and inserted it into the door. With a click of the lock, the Spanish man was inside the abode. Seeing the other man out cold on the couch sent a panic up Antonio's spine. Lovi nooooo!

"LOVI!" Antonio cried, shaking the man roughly. "Don't walk into the light! Don't even skip into the light! LOVI!"

"What the he—Antonio! How did you…wait, you still have a key to this place. I didn't take it away because? Forget it, just tell me why you're in my house before I ring your neck red," Lovino warned.

"On the phone you sounded sick, so I rushed right over! I refuse to let my Lovi die in his house alone! But to be honest, it'd be pretty creepy to be sitting by a corpse, no matter how adorable said corpse is," Antonio added that last thought after a movie he saw with Alfred. OK, Antonio watched it; Alfred was cowering behind his bowl of popcorn.

"…So you came over?" Lovino said quietly, his voice almost too quiet for Antonio to hear.

"…"

"Answer me, dang it!"

"Just because Lovi doesn't want Antonio doesn't mean Antonio doesn't want Lovi. My instincts made me so it'd be my sixth sense is to care for the ones I lov—like! I said like! Nothing else. That didn't just happen! Ignore the very sentence I just uttered!" Antonio sputtered. His struggle was musing to Lovino, causing him to smile a bit.

Romano, as you may have forgotten, was still working on his project and watched Antonio practically flirt with Lovino. He noticed his owner's extraordinary, priceless grin, his mouth finally turned up at the corners. "_Flatters and flirts—idiot_" Romano added to his notes. He decided his might as well look up what he'd learned so far:

"_Shows adoration_" Lovino required plenty of care and love simply to function correctly.

"_Likes to comfort others" _The Italian would deny it around others, but with Romano and Antonio he loved being snuggled when upsetting times arose.

"_Playful; enjoys the company of others_" Playful as in roll—never mind. Please move on.

"_Takes charge when things go…bad?" _Romano thought this one over and over again. Why did Antonio move in every time Lovino needed him? Did he just know what Lovino needed?

So as far as Romano saw the two were fit for each other. Why did Lovino have difficulty seeing this? Where Lovino's eyes clouded by years of being chosen last shading him from his last light? Romano gulped. If Antonio was Lovino's last chance, Romano wouldn't let him just stand there and allow it to go flying off to somebody else. Wait a moment…flying….


	6. Crimson, Flying Cats, and Tomatoes

Romano knew what he had to do, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. You have to, Romano thought, even if the shelter…*shiver*…is the punishment. Spain was sitting on the floor at this time. He'd come in with Antonio, but we're just noticing him now. The smaller cat could tell Spain as going to be very angry with what he planned to do, yet he had to risk it. Lovino meant more to him than anything. The Italian had saved him from a hard, starving life in the local park and kept him though all the crap Lovino's had to put up with, including Romano's general moodiness. Yet the plan Romano had just thought of had two horrid outcomes: one; if he missed, he was beyond screwed, and two; Lovino was unquestionably going to throw him out for this. Maybe there was a third consequence: Spain not being his friend any longer. Not-not…that he…cared. Romano did have to admit though, the large furball stuck next to him for this long. Too bad all of that was going to be cashed in for his owner's love. Here goes nothing!

Romano crouched into a pouncing position on the wooden side table he happened to be sitting on. His fluffy tail wagged in a way similar to a pleased Golden Retriever. Tiny front paws came together to boost his jump length. Back legs spread to increase his launch; Romano Vargas was ready. But was he really going to do this? What if Antonio just thought Romano was a crazed psychopath of a feline, then what? No, he had to ignore these questions for now, they did not matter. After pushing his claws out, Romano jumped from the table.

" _Dios mio!* _GET HIM OFF!" Antonio cried in pain for Romano made a perfect leap from the table to the Spanish man's pants leg as he hung on with his claws.

"What the hell, Romano!" Lovino yelled, trying to yank the cat off his ex-lover.

You see there was a story behind Romano's plan. The first time Lovino brought Antonio home was just a week or so after Romano was adopted. Even as a tiny kitten Romano had some…people problems. No, that was incorrect. He had **everyone** problems. It seemed he had problems with everyone minus his surreptitiously beloved Lovino of course. Oh, how he hated Antonio at first. Even now he only tolerates the man because of how happy he makes Lovino. But back to Romano being a vicious, non-declawed kitten. As soon as the tall man stepped into the living room where Romano was waiting beneath the sofa the small kitten hated him. The way he put an arm around Lovino's waist disgusted him. Lovino was his, not Antonio's. The couple sat on the settee and Romano made his move. Ten razor-sharp, white talons sunk into Antonio's unsuspecting leg. It took a good ten or fifteen minutes to remove the cat, but during that time Antonio was in an immense amount of pain. Romano's satisfaction could not have been greater. Except that was when he was a mindless kitten; Lovino hadn't even blamed him for the attack; he simply told Antonio he had a lot of energy. But now he'd been given ground rules, and more than six of them had to deal with touching Antonio. And _no_, not in that way Francis!

Anyways, Spain was observing this with pure horror. This was not the shock he'd felt when the cats had caught Lovino and Antonio making out downstairs. It was betrayal. What did he or his possessor ever do to Romano? Spain was decently sure he'd done absolutely nothing to the smaller cat unless you counted being friendly and helpful. Seriously, why?

"Aha! Got you!" Lovino shouted in victory of eliminating the feline from the other man's right leg.

Antonio limped to the couch as Lovino marched the feline to another room. He was quite aware how much the cat disliked him being close to Lovino. The Spaniard guessed the feline was like this because the two spent some time apart. Maybe Romano had gotten used to having his owner to himself. However this was no reason to excuse the pain and agony he'd just caused. His pant leg had three tears in it, all showing off deep bloody scrapes.

"Just imagine its tomato juice, Toni old boy, it's just tomatoes…" Antonio coaxed himself to believe.

Lovino was just about ready to separate Romano's tail from his body. How dare the monster attack Antonio! He had warned the cat before and now he was going to get it. Once more the feline was dumped on the plush tomato stamped bed. Lovino's face was equal to the color of the bedspread and it was not from blushing.

"Romano, prepare to die. I told you what would happen and you'd better believe it will. We'll go to the shelter tomorrow," Lovino angrily stated.

Lovino then remembered he'd left a most likely bleeding Antonio downstairs by himself and rushed back to the scene of the crime. Spain was licking at the fresh wounds on Antonio's leg in an attempt to be rid of the crimson liquid. Antonio was still smiling as he always was. God, what the heck was the matter with this guy? Why was he also so freaking happy? Had anyone else had been slashed by an insane feline they would have been screaming in pain. So what was the Spanish man smiling for?

"For God's sake, Antonio. What are you smiling about? You just got cut by my stupid cat!" Lovino wanted to know.

"Oh, Lovi. It's OK. It's only a few cuts to the leg; I've got two—I think—so I have one left. Romano probably was just upset about having to share his owner again-," Antonio started.

"—And so what? That didn't g-give the furball permission to a-attack you! No-not that I care or anything," Lovino stuttered.

"It could have been much worse Lovi."

"How so?"

"He might have gotten you if he'd aimed a little bit to the right. That would have been horrible. I can deal with this only knowing my Lovi—Lovino is safe from harm. Even if said harm is from his own cat." Antonio said to a surprised Italian. "Anyways, I always protect loved—liked—ug, I'm just going to say this. Lovino Vargas, _te amo*_. I need you by my side; I need you to be snuggling against to me on a cold day. Do you feel the same?"


	7. Confess to Me, Answer Me, Cage Me

Lovino was speechless. His mouth was open but no sound was uttered nor did word come to him. Antonio had to be joking, right? Lovino knew his own attitude, thank you very much. Lovino Vargas was a foulmouthed, angry, and fussy brat of a man. If Antonio knew himself the he did, Antonio would be running for the next country. Glaring a fierce glower, Lovino took a seat next to the hopeful Spanish man. What is he waiting for, Lovino thought. Antonio had just confessed something and now he wanted an answer. But what answer was correct? Lovino thought of several answers and how they would go:

"_Hell no, idiot." He might say. _

Reaction: Antonio bursting into floods of tears and then going out with his friends only to come home drunk. Followed by getting wasted, Antonio would flop on his couch and watch romance movies while crying himself to sleep. Lovino didn't want to have to deal with that.

"_Um…can I have some time to think this over?" Mr. Vargas may shyly ask._

Reaction: The Spaniard would nod, gladly letting his love think about it. Lovino was greatly considering this one, but he knew Antonio would be paranoid until he answered. And, knowing Lovino, the Italian may just forget after siesta time, slowly killing Antonio. Not wanting to be charged with murder, Lovino pushed this one out of his mind.

"_Of course!" He'd happily say._

Reaction: Actually, for this choice, Lovino doesn't give a crap about Antonio's feelings; he's not saying that. It wouldn't be true anyways, right? Right?

Of all three reasons Lovino had one he'd had yet to consider. He didn't want to believe the consequences; this answer needed to be said. It wasn't a short answer to hurt Antonio, but it was small due to being all that was required. Should he really say it? No, wait, Antonio may be angry with me if I don't just say the same thing back, Lovino supposed. One second, since when did Lovino care if Antonio was angry, dang it? But the feeling of regret stung on Lovino's tongue as he murmured the words:

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean 'am I sure'? Of course I love Lovi~! No one else is as special to me as Lovino!" Antonio chirped in response.

Antonio received an annoying snort as his answer.

"What?" Spaniard asked Italian.

"Oh, please. You can 'I love you' to anyone. I highly doubt anyone means it anymore. I doubt even more that you would say it to me and not laugh due to your own stupidity." Lovino coldly muttered.

Antonio was quite confused. Had their history together mean nothing now? All the dates, all the companionship, all the time spent together and Lovino still doubted himself like this? What more did the Spanish man need to prove? In all honesty, Antonio would much rather never eat another bright red tomato again—le gasp!—rather than give up on his cherished Lovino.

"Meow," Romano mewed suddenly, breaking the silence in between the humans' conversation.

Lovino glared at his beast. That stupid cat probably just ruined everything. Now he dared to show his furry face once more after attacking his beloved Antonio. The cat was going to the shelter later anyways so Lovino only had to put with him for a few more hours. He'd get rid of his cat items afterwards.

"Lovi, do you want some time to think about it?" Antonio asked, looking down at the carpet.

"Damn you, number two," Lovino muttered, remembering his choices from before.

"_Que_*?" Antonio inquired, confused once more.

"Nothing. Look, I think we both need to think about what we want to say, OK? You need to think about whether or not you mean what you said. I'll make my decision by then."

"Ok~! I'll call you tomorrow, my dear!" Antonio practically squealed as he and Spain, who was still present, skipped out the front door.

Romano sensed his owner's aura of pure evil and tried to make a run for the open door. However, Lovino was much faster because he was running on 100% natural hatred. Tackling the feline, Lovino jammed him into a blue cat carrier in a nearby closet. Slamming the metal door shut, Lovino cackled in a slightly disturbing way and put the cage on the counter. Romano didn't know what he should fear: the colorless pound or his insane owner. Hm… After a matter of moments, the choice was definitely Lovino. The curl on the man's amber hair was crinkled with anger, his face was crimson with rage, and his grip was crushing.

"Oh, Romano, maybe you'll find someone who's willing to handle your evil ways. Maybe you can break them up with their boyfriend!" Lovino said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Romano wanted to finish his experiment and figure out why Spain stayed with him, as well as why Antonio loved Lovino. However, the tests would never be finished. This was over. His home with Lovino was ruined. Lovino's love of Antonio had disappeared seemingly. He'd heard Lovino vacillate before answering his boyfriend; it was unlike him. Yes, it was. Romano remembered a story from when he was first aware the two were dating. Ah, good times….


	8. A Selfish Act by Romano Vargas

**~Story Time~**

**~3 Years Ago~ **

Romano had been living in a rather pampered life with Lovino. Plenty of gourmet cat food was supplied whenever he meowed for it. Toys of all sizes and shapes were tucked away safely in an open bin where Romano could get what he pleased. Endless delighted purrs echoed around the halls as Romano was given as much love and attention as he could handle without bursting. This was before he realized how much time with Lovino the Spaniard Antonio was taking away from him. He happened to notice this when he was only a year or so old. Wanting to play with his cherished master, Romano chose a personal favorite toy stuffed with catnip and went to locate him. After stalking around his large abode for a few minutes, he caught Lovino and Antonio in the kitchen, the taller Antonio pressing Lovino against the olive green wall. Someone's in the kitchen with Lovi, someone's in the kitchen, I know….

"God, Antonio. Is it really that hard to keep your hands to yourself?" Lovino muttered as his boyfriend wrapped his arms around his slim waist.

"When I'm with my Lovi it is~!" Antonio purred.

Mr. Vargas' cat was disgusted when he found Antonio toying with Lovino: caressing his cheeks—the face, Francis, the face!—nuzzling his neck, and brushing hands across his chest. What a creepy freak, Romano remembered thinking. Lovino was Romano's! Wasn't that why he'd been picked off the unforgiving street and into the lap of complete luxury? It had to be; hey, even Romano noticed how much of a jerk he could be to other beings. Did this other man mean more to Lovino than Romano did? He had figured out they were seeing each other months ago, yes, but he'd never seen them like this. The feline had no idea they were this…um…"_serious"_.

"Antonio, get off or I knee you. Besides, I think you've scarred my cat," Lovino commented.

Antonio released Lovino with a cheerful laugh and patted Romano on the brown spot on his head. The cat, for the first time in front of Lovino, hissed bitterly at the other man and stalked away, forgetting his toy. Whimpering, Antonio felt hurt. What did he do? Antonio had many relationship problems with other girl and boyfriends thus he was very susceptible to the smallest showings of anger. Yes, it even mattered if said rage was from a feline.

"Ah, calm down, Antonio. Romano despises everyone either quietly or openly. You just got the sucky end and ended being hated openly," Lovino half-soothed, half-gloated.

"You know I wonder why the little kitty hates me…am I that bad of a person? Just a few months before he pounced on my leg so maybe he does hate me. *sniffle* Lovi, am I a bad man?" Antonio whispered, sniffling for effect.

"You're really pathetic if you don't know the answer. Since you are a numbskull, I'm going to have to tell you, right?" Lovino paused to wait for the other man's nod. "I thought so. I'm going to put this in brief: You're not a bad guy, you're just a lovable idiot."

"Dah~! Lovi, you do care!" Antonio joyfully cheered.

Romano decided to meow angrily at Lovino for choosing Antonio over him and at Antonio for living. Stalking back into the room he'd been present in before, Romano was ready to hiss, spit and murmur. However, just like when he and Spain caught the two men making out, Romano had the same shocked expression on his feline face. Romano meowed loudly in protest at the scene before him. Since the breed of rare pissed-off-cat-of-Italy he was, as many people said, he had a strong voice when it came to showing fury. Yet neither of the two men were paying attention. To be truthful, though, Antonio probably is too oblivious to notice Romano in the first place sometimes.

The Spanish man was happily snuggling Lovino who surprisingly was sporting a tiny smile during this sign of affection. Antonio had pressed his caramel colored cheek against his dearly beloved's light forehead. If you remember it, Lovino's curl on the right side of his head had a mind of its own. This was, according to Lovino, the "only" reason the end of the hair piece was twirled into a small heart. Purrs that were extremely catlike emitted from both Italian and Spaniard. Hands rushed around silky hair, shirt buttons were played with, lips met. Hm…maybe "_snuggling_" was the wrong term for this.

An amber eye twitched. Romano could not take this. He refused to see so much of his owner taken from him. There was no way he was sharing Lovino, come high water, fire, or certain death. For the love of all things good and filled with catnip, Lovino would stay Romano! Still, the only reason Antonio wasn't dead right now was because how happy Lovino got around him. Sigh. What did he want more: Lovino's happiness or his own selfish attention? Eh, screw other people. From then on Romano swore he would only tolerate Antonio as long as Lovino was in high spirits. However, if Lovino was heartbroken or upset, that Spaniard was going down very hard.

**~End of Story Time~**

**~Present~**

* * *

><p>I'm sorry this chapter took so long! My computer's a jerk so it decided "Hey, I'm totally not going to work today! Let her figure out how to use a typewriter!" Yea…but now it's fixed! By the way, I do not own the "Someone's in the kitchen with Lovi" thing. That's from a song called "I've Been Working on the Railroad". The original line was "Someone's in the kitchen Dinah". <strong>Next time<strong>: Romano's in the pound! Oh no! Read and Review, thanks!


	9. America and More Stories

"Ah, what a gorgeous kitty you have! What happens to be his problem?" A woman's voice cooed from outside Romano's cage.

The shelter was so bright and cheerful in the front office. Posters of smiling children holding fluffy kittens or walking playful puppies were covering the sky blue walls. The voice the feline had just heard belonged to a Hungarian woman with long brown locks and a warm smile behind a blue counter. Romano inched to the back of his carrier; he already resented this lady. He could hear the mournful cries of other cats from outside his prison. Hissing, Romano silently begged Lovino to take him back. Please, if you knew what I was doing you wouldn't be shoving me in here, Romano thought. All's he was trying to do was to see if Antonio was worth the time Lovino put into him. Was this really going to be his reward?

"I just can't tolerate him anymore. Hopefully someone will adopt him," Lovino answered.

The expected answer was given as Lovino walked back outside, leaving Romano in this seemingly cheery place. His cage was picked up by a man with white blonde hair and carried to the _real_ shelter. Behind the first room a new world of smelly litter boxes, depressing grey cement walls, and several yowling cats opened up. The place was clean but the horribly rotten smell of used litter was still present. At Lovino's house the covered box had been cleaned three times every day with fresh litter every two days. No; Romano wouldn't let himself think of Lovino for it would just make this transition even harder.

"Kesesesese~! Don't worry, little cutie, we'll find a home for you quick!" The albino man with blood red eyes chuckled to Romano.

Romano highly doubted that. Once they figured out how his temperament was he'd be screwed out of every home offered. The cage was opened and he was put in a larger yet miserable cage against a wall. A weak _click _indicated the lock on the door was closed, shutting Romano out from touching the world around him.All the felines watched as the man left the room, laughing to himself. OK, _that_ didn't say "evil" at all.

Then the attention was turned to Romano. A white Scottish Fold glared at him from across the room. The orange spot on the side of the older cat's head burned Romano's eyes; he was used to tomato red not carrot orange! Flashing his green eyes, the cat easily undid the poor lock unlocking his secure unit with his paws. Soon all the animals in the room had undone the feeble bolts and were flocking over to the newcomer. The leader was obviously the large white feline with the fuzzy black collar of fluff and black tail. He looked as if someone had meant to paint all of him black yet gave up after the neckline and tail. Sitting next to the Scottish Fold with the ginger spot, the mostly colorless cat gave a loud greeting.

"Hey, Denny! Open this guy's cage!" cried the feline as Denny, a furry brown cat with fur tinged in white, unlocked Romano's cage. "Welcome, dude! Name's America, man! I'm the most epic cat ever!"

"I disagree." The Scottish Fold muttered in a thick English accent.

"Aw, Iggy, don't be mad, you're awesome too! This grumpy guy's my best buddy in this whole world. Woops, forgot the exclamation point!" America laughed then changed the subject to Romano. "And who are you, bud?"

"I'm not your bud, jerk," Romano hissed.

"Woah, buddy! C'mon, don't be mad! We're all friends here!"

Seeing that he was outnumbered and small, Romano decided to answer the foolish feline.

"I am Romano Vargas."

"Welcome, Romano. There's no need to wonder about your old home; about five cats get taken out of here every week so you're bound to be adopted." Iggy looked Romano up and down. "Eh, some kid will think you're cute and take you home."

Maybe Lovino will come back for me, Romano prayed. This had to be a mistake. Romano thought he'd found a perfect home with Lovino. Hands that drove a brush around plush short fur, golden eyes that checked on him every once in a while, a shy voice giving words of affection and telling secrets…how could one mistake screw all of that up? The feline longed to be on the soft couch watching TV or eating tasty cat food mixed with delicious crushed tomatoes. Romano meowed in defeat.

"Aw, dude, it's OK to miss your owner. I know I miss mine." America sighed, not wanting to remember his owner.

"Who was it?" Romano just had to ask. What, it was tempting!

"Story time~!" Denny cried.

**~More Story Time: America and Iggy's Story~**

"The girl wasn't just my owner, she was Iggy's too. We were both given to her as kittens by her parents on her birthday when she was maybe 14 or so. Her name was Kimmy Brown. She was such a sweet little thing and so pretty too with her long brown hair, blue eyes, fine skin…." America began.

"Will you get on with the story already?" Iggy sighed.

"I was telling a story? …Oh yeah! Anyways, Kimmy loved us both a lot. We were pampered like kings. OK, she sometimes dressed us up like girls or dogs, but even so she was perfect. Other play sessions were so much more "cat fitted", like laser pointers or mice bursting with catnip. Then, one day, she got someone else to play with.

"He was a tall, blonde teenager with evil purple eyes and pale skin. The cream scarf that always seemed to be on the bastard's neck waved around every time he moved. Ivan, the jerk, was such a…ahem, moving on. Iggy and I didn't like the guy's creepy aura from the beginning but how could we say anything? The guy was a jerk to us, but he made Kimmy so happy we just decided to let it go. That and humans don't understand the language of cat.

"They stayed together for three years. Then she had to make a choice: go to college and leave her boyfriend or stay here. The boy was pressuring her to stay here; in fact, he got so angry about it he started getting violent. We, as the cats of the house, felt like we owed her our lives, for she was these kings' princess. Hey, when you have claws it's called freaking using 'em!" America yelled happily.

"Oh, please, America. You chomped down on the guy's leg right when Kimmy was in the room. You drew blood, jeez," Iggy told his companion.

"Yeah, as the hero I am I sometimes have to get down and dirty to protect the people I love. That includes you, Iggy! (Insert blush from our favorite Scottish Fold) That's what I was looking for! Now let's get back to the story, m'kay?

"We cats and Ivan got into a huge fight. He had her pressed against the wall and was ready to start hitting her. Iggy got pissed first and stuck ten claws in the jerk's leg. Once he screamed, I came flying in with my sharp little—I mean shark sized—teeth. _CHOMP! _I had his other leg in my mouth, digging it in. Iggy was getting violent too, my little warrior! I won't get into the more gruesome details, but let me put it this way: ambulances look great on lawns!" America triumphantly yelled.

"Yes, but after our amazing victory, her parents took us both to this pound. Kimmy was crying streams of tears yet her parents didn't want a lawsuit and had to get rid of us. We've been here since the incident happened three years ago. Yes, we were punished for protecting the person we loved the most," Iggy finished."How loving."

**~End of Story: America and Iggy's Story~ **

It's funny, you know, the things one thinks are plentiful to another until a punishment for doing good is given. How it changes someone's vision of good and bad can be quite vast. For example, let's say you test your owner's boyfriend to see why he cares and if he does at all. Then, even before you come to a conclusion, the man who owns you decides he's had enough of your "wrongdoings" and sends you to the darkest parts of the world you thought you knew. Once that has happened you change. This is what happened to Romano.

Suddenly Romano felt like he'd been cheated as well as Iggy and America. He'd just been trying to help Lovino's love life! Romano had heard Lovino talk about heartbreak after heartbreak until he met Antonio. These words, of course, were never said around the handsome Spaniard. How dare Lovino not see the heartfelt purpose of Romano's behavior! Could he not understand Romano's tests, even if the last test—the one involving feline claws to human leg—was a bit cruel? Screw Lovino, Romano angrily thought, in fact why not screw all humans! They don't deserve the time and love you put into them; even if I get adopted, the new humans won't get one drop of my affection.


	10. Antonio's Brain Questions Lovino

Now, several weeks following Romano being taken to the shelter, Antonio realized the feline was missing. Due to his good nature the Spanish man searched for clues about the cat's whereabouts for he feared his lover may be worrying. After four or five days he finally came to this conclusion. It was rather ingenious for Antonio. In fact, he was quite proud of himself and his new found knowledge. Thus, after spending three days thinking of a way to tell his clever termination to his boyfriend, Antonio said this to Lovino:

"Lovi, where's Romano?"

Yes, that counted as 'ingenious' for our favorite Spaniard. Go ahead, make your forehead become friends with the desk, it is appropriate. Lovino felt like doing the same thing as his boyfriend asked the question from the couch across the large study where Lovino was writing a paper for work. He turned from the computer to look at the confused man athwart from him. Innocent olive eyes stared back at him, waiting for an answer. Golden ones rolled in their sockets.

"Antonio, where do you think he is?" Lovino asked dryly, leaning his head on his propped up hand.

"With your brother, Feliciano?" Antonio guessed, full of hope.

"Try again. Let me give you a hint: all of his things are gone and his fur isn't clinging to my shirt."

"Let me think….um….Lovi~! This is too hard! Just tell me!" Spaniard cried to Italian.

"You are an idiot. I felt like you needed to know that."

"But I'm your idiot, right Lovi~?"

"Yea, whatever. Moving on, I got rid of him. He was useless anyways," Lovino said before turning back to his work.

Antonio blinked. Why had Lovino gotten rid of Romano? Sure, the cat attacked the man's boyfriend, but does that mean he was worth getting rid of? Deep down—we're talking kidneys here—Antonio felt like Romano liked him a bit. He definitely loved Lovino, but maybe he felt like he owed Antonio for taking good care of Lovi, even if they weren't married (yet).

The rusty gears in Antonio head started to turn at a slow pace, but gained speed as the Spaniard realized something. Lovino had gotten rid of his beloved cat he had had for quite a few years after the feline brought harm to another loved one. So what if Antonio accidentally did something to Lovino or someone the Italian cared about; would Antonio be 'useless' to the man? Antonio already knew what it felt like to have Lovino taken away from him and he was sure as tomatoes were red he wasn't going through _that_ depression again. However, he couldn't help but think about how unloved Romano had to be feeling. Thinking about it for a moment, Antonio came up with another question:

"Lovi, do you think Romano is mad you gave him up?" Antonio questioned his Lovi.

"He was a brat of a cat with a cruel attitude," Lovino muttered, not turning from typing. "He deserved to be given another chance to be taken. Maybe he'd ruin someone else's relationship." The last sentence was so low Antonio _almost_ didn't hear it.

"So what if I screwed up again or hurt you? Would you leave me for someone else to take?"

This question had silenced Lovino. His fingers stopped flying over keys on the keyboard. Stillness claimed the room. He wanted to ask why the relationship with the cat had to do with their romantic one, but could not bring himself to do so. Antonio had always been one to ask questions like these. It was one of the very few things Lovino wanted to strangle him over.

"Lovino Vargas, tell me if you would," Antonio was now growing panicked.

"It depends on what you did. Why the hell would you care if I left anyways? You already went a week or so without me. How hard could it of been?" Lovino sighed, getting sick of this subject.

"Lovino, my life was pure hell without you. I wanted to jump out every open window in my house, but I felt like you'd come back for me, which you did. Lovi, my dear, I feel like we're not on the same page sometimes. You want me to go drown in a tub and I want you to stay over. I need you to take Spain to the vet because I have a meeting that's too important to miss, yet you say my cat's appointment is when siesta time is. Thus I have to take him myself or get another appointment. It's pretty obvious you don't want to be equal in this relationship. Look, Lovi, I care about you very much, but if you can't forgive someone for a mistake I don't think this will last any longer," Antonio finished, looking at the carpet.


	11. Lovino Questions His Actions

Mr. Vargas' living room was covered by white only seen by the two men present. Everything was dissolved into the colorless abyss except the two males, Lovino's soft couch, and the computer seated on the wooden desk Lovino was working at. All air in the room unexpectedly whooshed away into another place. Silence made itself at home until Lovino whispered his reply.

"What?" Lovino asked, insure of what he'd just heard.

"Lovi, I said you need to learn to forgive people for tiny mistakes. Let's face it; I'm clumsy, too big, and slightly dumb. I'm going to make some stupid mistakes sometimes. I need to know if you'd forgive me," Antonio said, emerald eyes still on the carpet.

"Tiny mistake? Antonio, he snapped and slashed you. I doubt that's a small mistake!"

"….*sigh*."

"You freaking idiot! He could have gotten you in the face or something! Jesus…you know what, I done talking about my freaking cat," Lovino growled, once again facing his computer. "Glad he's gone. At least he won't harm anyone now."

A small smirk grew on Antonio's face. Lovino was facing away from him, thus he couldn't see it. The corners of the Spanish man's tanned face turned up slightly. Once more, as if to forgive him for years of being on vacation, Antonio Carriedo's brain started to understand the meaning of Lovino's seemingly harsh words. He had had a feeling this wasn't a real argument. It was simply a way for Lovino to express his feelings without actually saying them.

"Lovi~….." Antonio cooed in a sly voice.

"If you touch me, I swear-!" Lovino began.

Yes, well, if we know Spain and his creepy pervert cat friends plus how he copies his "daddy", then we have to suppose that Antonio also has freaky friends, Gilbert and Francis. Freaky friends who have problems with "keeping their hands to themselves". The kind of creepy friends who were banned from all schools with children in them. Now, if you happen to hang around someone for long periods of time you begin to act like them and change your views on good and things you get arrested for. Every other moment Antonio was either with his beloved boyfriend, playing with good-humored Spain or doing something stupid with his friends. Our favorite Italian was quite aware of this for he often had to pick up the trio from various bars after they'd gotten too drunk to drive back home. But, off the subject of Antonio's weird buddies, Lovino could easily tell when Antonio was about to make a move. Right about now, Lovino felt an unwanted sign of affection coming from his boyfriend as he tightened his fists in ready to punch if needed.

"I love you, Lovi~!" Antonio cried before pouncing like a Bengal tiger on his lover, Lovino shrieking in surprise.

"Get off!" Lovino yelled, struggling in the tight hug he'd received.

"Oh, Lovi, you don't hate Romano! You're just mad because he put his claws on me, aren't you Lovi?" Antonio asked.

"….."

"Lovi~, I'm waiting."

"…ngh…."

"It's OK Lovi. We'll come back to that later. Now about what you just said: 'Maybe he'd ruin someone else's relationship.' Why do you think he hurt us as lovers? The only thing he hurt was my leg but I got it stitched up!" Antonio asked, his head tilted slightly to the left.

Lovino glared at Antonio's wondering face. The Spaniard's soft smile left Lovino pondering as well. Why had he thought of Romano as a crack in his relationship with the Spanish male he hated—loved—most? Once he thought about it for a moment, Lovino realized he probably performed the act of ridding himself of Romano out of paranoia. He feared the feline might hurt Antonio one too many times and the love between the two would be forgotten. All of Lovino's love would be wasted if Antonio broke up with him. However, Lovino had no reason to be panicked about the stability of he and Antonio's relationship. Antonio loved him unconditionally. Though he would never say it out loud, Lovino cared about the other man just as much. So what if a cat added some bumps in the road to happiness? Lovino made sure there were bumps; he may love the man, but Antonio still got a bit of Lovino's regular wrath. Looking back, the feline hadn't really been looking very sure before he pounced on Antonio. He seemed to be weighing his chances. The cat's shoulders were drooping slightly, his white tail ticking back and forth like a clock, and his fur was ruffled. Had he been…hesitating?

"Aw, damn it!" Lovino suddenly yelled, realizing his mistake.

"What Lovi~? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Not nothing, Lovi. Tell me!"

Changing the subject, Lovino muttered, "Ug, look. Antonio, I'm ticked off because he hurt you and you can't be any happier about it. God, happy now?"

"So Lovi _does_ care?" Antonio's pleading voice whimpered.

"How stupid are you really?"

"…Is that a 'no'?"

"You're such a…gah, forget it. For the love of all things good and Italian, I do care, damn it! I may not show it too often but I do give a crap about you, you worthless Spaniard! There, I said it, idiot. Now go get wasted with your useless 'friends'," Lovino shouted, getting quieter with every sentence.


	12. First Lips, Then Stress, Finally Spain

"Lovi…." Antonio managed to whisper before his lips were captured by a pair of supple tomato tasting lips.

Yes, for the first time in a while, Lovino had made the first move. For the longest amount of time Antonio had to be the one to commence with the next step in the relationship he had with the Italian because of Lovino's usual denial. Antonio was slightly disappointed by having his only control in the romantic connection taken away, but when Lovino's tongue entered his mouth, he kept quiet. Oh, well; Antonio could get some authority back later. Leaning down, the Spaniard found himself soon on the carpeted flooring with his caramel colored hands around Lovino's waist. Lovino had to lower his neck a bit to keep the love going. But once Antonio's hands began to travel up Lovino's shirt four or five minutes into the lip lock, the line was drawn with a permanent marker.

"Every time! Why is it so hard to follow one simple rule: keep your freaking hands to yourself!" Lovino complained.

"Aw, but Lovi, you just said you loved me! How could I possibly get off you now?" Antonio whimpered. "Now, back to the other thing: what were you so upset about a minute ago?"

"…"

"Lovi~!"

"….I made a mistake. I made a horrible mistake."

"What did you do?" Antonio asked before Lovino could answer him. "Are you in trouble with the law? Oh of course you wouldn't be! …Right? No, Lovi! How many times do I have to stop you from destroying Francis? ….You killed him, didn't you? Lovi, why~? Great, now Gil and I have to find another buddy to pal around with! Dang it!"

"First off, I wouldn't kill Francis without dumping the body out in the sea or something. Come on, I've had years of experience with the Mafia. And secondly, no I didn't kill anyone nor get in trouble. At least not in trouble like that. Look, I think I messed up giving Romano away. I really liked him; he was good company when he wasn't being a jerk," Lovino sighed previous to continuing. "I hate to say sappy crap like this, but I did care about him. The only reason I got rid of him was because he attacked you, and if I pissed him off he might come back for me. What do you think? Am I stupid? By the way, if you say 'yes' to me being stupid, I'll have to dump _you_ in the sea."

"Well, Lovi, there's no way to tell if he's even still at the shelter, but I'm glad you realized your mistake—"Antonio began.

"You were supposed to disagree with me, damn it!"

"Oh, yea. OK, Lovino, you didn't make a mistake; Romano did. If he hadn't harmed me you wouldn't have gotten rid of him. Nor would we have gotten all those things off our chests or be kissing right now. Yep, I guess you didn't want any sexy Spanish guy kissing you, I guess!"

"I hate you."

"I love you too!" Antonio happily cried, pressing his forehead to Lovino's.

"So what should I do?"

"Get in the car, Lovi. We've got a cat to look for!" Antonio announced, standing up and grabbing his car keys from the counter in the kitchen.

"What? Now? I have work to do-," Lovino started before his had was clutched as Antonio dragged him into the tomato crimson—of course—truck waiting in Lovino's driveway.

"To the shelter! Away~!" Antonio cried, driving down the street.

**~In the Home of Antonio~**

"Where are they going?" Spain wondered aloud, watching his 'daddy' take his boyfriend hostage in his car.

Great, Spain thought, another thing for me to stress over. For the past week or so Antonio had been acting strange. He'd leave home the very second Lovino left for work on Mondays and Tuesdays, driving off to places unknown. He'd once come back with a small, mysterious black velvet box. The next day he'd brought a romance film from the movie store. After every trip he'd start chatting with his friend Francis in a panicked voice, saying things like "Am I doing this right?", "He's going to be mad, I swear!" or even "Francis, if this doesn't work, I'm personally coming over there to maul you with your own hands". In fact, with all this hubbub, Antonio rarely had time for Spain anymore. What is all of this for, Spain wanted to know.

These days Spain had been rather depressed. He'd been neglected by Antonio but Romano's strange disappearance didn't help one bit. Before his friend's sudden absence, Spain greeted Romano as they always did. Spain would meet Romano by the hole in the pale green fence between the two houses. Romano would then meow to indicate his knowing of Spain's presence. Next Spain would climb onto the wooden crate used for carrying tomatoes standing near the wall, crouch, and vault over the barrier to the backyard of Romano's house. Finally, Romano and Spain simply enjoyed the day together snoozing with their tails entwined, watching Lovino tend to his orderly garden, or merely licking each other clean. Life was so peaceful until now. All that was present now was the deep hole in Spain's heart and stress filling his mind. Some days he'd be so lost in his troubles he'd just walk over to the fence and rest his head against it, wishing to hear the shrill mew of his beloved friend.

"Where are you?" Spain often found himself asking no one in particular.


	13. To Be in Lovino's Arms

**~At the Shelter~ **

"There, you're clean. Happy?" Iggy muttered, finishing his licking job on America.

"Totally happy, dude! You're the best! I could have reached it myself, but with my back problems…" America began.

"Of course—wait a moment! You have no back problems!" Iggy hissed, annoyed with his friend's sluggishness.

America jumped down from the pen he was in to get a head start from running away from Iggy. Iggy soon was chasing the bicolor cat around the room all the cats shared. Romano watched them from his open cage with interest. After being here for a week, he'd realized shelter life wasn't half bad. He received attention from different people from time to time. All the felines payed attention when Romano would be picked up by a child only to lash out and scratch the unsuspecting person, causing parents to herd them away to another feline. The employees understood how much of a jerk Romano could be and had left him alone. The food sucked immensely compared to Lovino's homemade meals and gourmet cat food, but if he just imagined the alluring smell of Lovino's cooking then the food was bearable.

But still, there was a question still present in the back of Romano's entertained mind. He often tried to keep himself from thinking like this, but Lovino was special. This had been stated before, but no detail was given about Romano's hard life before Lovino. Thinking back, Romano remembered the time he really met Lovino Vargas.

**~4 Years Ago~ **

He had been living with his younger brother Gino, who happened to look almost identical to Romano, in a park in Spain—the country—near a sparkling river. Their mother had died months ago thus the kittens were forced to forge for themselves. Gino was too small and weak to move much, so the boys made their 'home' underneath a broken bench no one bothered to fix. Every day the little kitten that was Romano had to fish in the stream to find food for both brothers. Some days he was successful. Others days, however, he ended up begging for food or searching in trash cans to see what he could salvage. Since they were growing kittens, Romano and Gino nearly starved due to a lack of proper food. Romano once saw Gino gnawing on his own tail out of hunger when Romano couldn't find anything to eat.

During one afternoon after a bad day for hunting, Romano saw a man with a weird curl on the side of his head carrying a bulging bag walking the direction of the fallen bench. Meowing sadly, Romano poked his thin head out from under the seat. Lovino noticed the scrawny kitten and crouched down, putting out his hand for the baby animal to sniff. Smelling his first hint of tomato, Romano licked Lovino's hand happily, his stomach growling.

"Hey, little guy, where did you come from, huh? Where's your mama?" Lovino asked softly, stroking the purring feline gently.

"Mew…" Gino weakly greeted from underneath the bench.

"Oh, you have a sibling, little guy? Are you two hungry? I was going to save these for my stupid brother, but I think you guys need them," Lovino said before digging a freshly harvested tomato out of his bag.

Feasting on the rich fruits, the two babies splattered red all over the ground for Romano and Gino had never eaten this well in months. Sixteen red fruits later, both kittens had muzzles covered in scarlet pulp and bellies finally filled. Romano rubbed his furry head against Lovino's fair skin. This was definitely a nice man. He allowed Lovino to scratch his full belly once he rolled over onto his fluffy back. So, for several weeks, Lovino was back with more food. Meats like ham, seafood including shrimp, and more tomatoes occupied the kittens' stomachs. One day he came with a large blue kennel. Once the kittens were fed, Lovino took advantage of their sleepiness and easily put the two into the crate. Said cage was loaded into the front seat of a warm scarlet pickup truck. The kittens trusted this man, thus they didn't make a sound as they were driven to a fine home in a quiet neighborhood.

Inside the house, a tall Spanish man was sitting on the luxurious loveseat as a young male came racing down the stairs. He had light brown hair complete with a curl similar to Lovino's with the exception of being on the other side of his head. His chocolate eyes peered into the kennel housing the small kittens, which had been placed on a table. The Spaniard had also joined the other man at the front of the cage.

"Lovino~! Ve~, they're so cute! Can I have one?" the smaller man asked, begging Lovino.

"Fine, Feli, you can have one but I get to chose first," Lovino stated.

"Aw, but I want to chose first! You'll choose the one I want! Antonio!"

"Feli, my Lovi saved them. It's only right that he chooses first," the Spanish man, called Antonio, said wisely.

"You're still banned from the bedroom." Lovino commented, unlocking the cage and stroking Romano lovingly.

"Dang it! I was drunk! You know how Francis loves to express 'his inner Frenchmen'! I can't help it," Antonio whimpered.

"Sure you were, jacka—I'm not cursing in front of the kittens. Anyway, I want this little guy; the bigger one," Lovino said, gently picking up Romano with care, who purred in response.

"Aw, Lovi~! That's so sweet! I've never heard you stop yourself from cursing. Good choice," Antonio swooned. "OK, Feliciano, now you choose."

"Ve~! I want the cute one!" Feli cried, cuddling a happy Gino.

After smacking Feliciano in the back of the head for his comment, Lovino thought of a name for his kitten: Romano. He chose the name due to the kitten's fur being the color of the Italian cheese. Besides, the cheese was a favorite of toppings when it came to Lovino and he had a feeling this kitten was going to become a desired thing too. Feliciano came up with the name Gino. He carefully selected the name after thinking for an hour. The name Gino came from Feliciano's favorite restaurant. Gino realized what was going on: he was going to lose his big brother! Gino whimpered to his brother, who looked up at Lovino. Lovino seemed to read the cat's upset mind.

"Oh, wait. Why am I separating these two? They're the only ones they fully trust," Lovino sighed. "Look, Feli, if you let me keep…..Gino…..for a few weeks then I'll pay for the first vet visit. I think the two will adjust better if they spent more time apart, bit by bit."

"OK! I trust you to take good care of my little Gino, OK~?" Feli chirped before Lovino nodded.

Leaving to go back to his home across town, Feliciano soon disappeared out the front door. Antonio still stayed, starting to fix dinner for the two men and milk for the kittens. At first glance, Romano assumed the man lived here; maybe he was Lovino's husband. Husband or not, Lovino's was now partially Romano's. Gino, scared, wiggled under the couch soon after Feli left. Being the braver of the two, Romano snuggled into the crook of Lovino's warm arm. He went to work on brushing his tiny pink tongue across Lovino's skin. It felt good to be in someone's arms…


	14. Spain's words, Lovino's Tears, and Sadiq

Back at Lovino's house after a brief visit to the shelter where Romano _had_ been held, Antonio had what was left of Lovino in his lap on the loveseat—dubbed that for reasons I won't get into—in Lovino's bedroom. His red face pushed into Antonio's chest, Lovino had cried until he no longer could process tears. This was a direct clue to how upset Lovino was; the Italian rarely was open about his stronger emotions. Anger was common, yes, but tears were seldom seen streaking down the man's face. Antonio traced slow circles in the other man's brown hair yet the sobs refused to cease.

"Lovi, I'm sure whoever adopted him will be happy," Antonio tried to reassure his love, "They've got a new friend. Shouldn't you be happy about that?"

"…."

"Yeah, I guess not. Well at least we tried, my dear."

"…*sniff*…"

With a sigh soaked in sympathy, Antonio snuggled his Lovino closer. The Spaniard had a good idea what true heartbreak felt like when Lovino broke up with him for a matter of days. Nonetheless he couldn't understand how a simple cat could hurt someone. Romano had always been a jerk to everyone so why did Lovino care so much that he was gone? Almost desperately Antonio begged the rusted gears in his brain to once more work a miracle: figure out how to drag his Lovi away from his despair. Antonio wanted to be Lovino's knight in shining tomato red armor, to save him from the dragon of pure misfortune, to show the prince Lovino was how much Antonio cared. Thus Antonio's brain had to function! This, of course, is my vocabulary. What Antonio asked, out loud, was this:

"Come on, brain! I've housed you for my whole life! Work, I say!" Antonio asked the unused muscle in his cranium. "Please? Lovi's sad and I don't know what to do!"

Lovino tightened his grip on Antonio's buttoned shirt. He tried to hide his red face for it was now sprinkled with an intense blush. Antonio was very sweet for caring about such a seemingly pointless ordeal. The idiotic Spaniard may have had very few points in the brain department yet he made up for it with a heart the size of Russia. No, this is not to be taken literally. Antonio's chest would have to be huge for an organ of said size.

"Lovi, did I make you madder?" Antonio gasped.

"I hate you," Lovino muttered with honey in his words, his voice giving away his true meaning.

"Aw, Lovi, I love you too!" Antonio chirped before getting more serious. "Lovino, I'm very sorry about what happened with Romano, but there's nothing you or I can do about it. Maybe the new owner will change their mind or suddenly develop an allergy to cats! I know you don't want another cat but maybe it would be healthy…." Antonio's voice trailed off to places unknown before silence, once more, took control of the room.

* * *

><p>Hyperventilating, Romano was rather close to having a heart attack. From the trunk he was in, the poor feline could not tell what was going on outside. However, he <em>could<em> understand the man who was driving should not have had a driver's license. With this insane driving, a crazed U-turn was attempted, the car flew a few feet off the ground, and Romano painfully smacked the ceiling of his cage about twenty times per bump. By the time the truck arrived in a stone driveway, Romano felt the kibble snaking up his throat. Following a slam of a door the truck of the car was opened and daylight poured in. A tall, dark-haired man with a bit of stubble on his chin grabbed Romano's blue transporter with incredible strength (I suggest you remember this for later). The front door of a white house was thrust open as the man holding Romano's cage walked in. After a bumpy ride down a flight of stairs, his cage in the man's swinging grip, Romano was disoriented beyond repair. Even with his dizzy vision the feline could see the room around him. Below the house was a dull basement, or so it _seemed _like one for now.

"Hold on, Mr. Kitty. You should hold still. The cage will be opened in a minute."

Romano, in slight shock from the rough car ride, stood still in his carrier. Sadiq, the Turkish man who had taken him away from his fellow felines in the grey room, walked away from the cage as he placed it in a dark cellar. He did not care to properly put Romano's cage on a firm table. Sadiq plopped the carrier on the hard floor, making Romano recoil inside. Unlike Lovino's cheery home, Sadiq had no supplies needed for his new animal. No litter box was present in the concrete room or a bowl for food. Romano meowed, hoping to hear another cat answer. His sound simply echoed off the drab walls, bouncing back at the feline. Once the door leading upstairs was closed, Romano began to panic.

"Why did I have to bite Antonio? Now I'm screwed! Lovino, save me!" Romano screamed to no one. "Spain, save me, damn it!"

"Now, now, Mr. Kitty. You won't be meowing for long. I am going to bed for now. Once the cage is unlocked you may walk around. Food is on the stairs," Sadiq cooed, suddenly appearing in front of Romano, unlocking the cage containing the cat.

Once Sadiq left, Romano helped himself to the food. Well, if you could call fish with their eyes still on 'food', the food wasn't Lovino's amazing Italian cooking, but it filled Romano's stomach. Halfway through his meal, visions of his friend Spain came to Romano's mind. Oh, how he missed the oblivious feline he called friend. Echoes of the other feline's meow rang in Romano's forlorn head.

"ROMA! Are you there~?" Not any more, Romano solemnly thought.

"I came here to see what you were doing~!" Why did I push you way all of those times?

"I have a cat door, but I'd rather sleep with Roma~!" This still sounds wrong.

"You might have moved…how would I have found Roma then? I'd be lost, I tell you, lost!"

That last phrase from Spain haunted Romano the most. Romano remembered the cat's happiness when the two saw each other after many weeks of separation. Spain had simply flung himself at Romano through the wooden fence in Lovino's backyard. He'd wanted to see his Romano so badly the fence wasn't even present in his view, only the picture of his small feline friend. Though Romano only meowed, the meow, that one tiny meow, started Spain's heart up again. Was the feline lost now, permanently without Romano?


	15. Three Idiots and Leaves

As soon as the news that Romano had been taken away made its way to Spain the poor feline was destroyed. At first he refused to believe it for maybe Romano was playing hide and seek and could not be found. After realizing how crazy his first idea sounded aloud, Spain assumed his friend was stuck somewhere, such as a tree. Once Antonio left for work one Tuesday, Spain snuck out his cat door's flap, ready to explore every tree in the neighborhood. Following begging, lecturing, and tiny bit of threatening, he ended up getting his good friends Prussy and France participate in the search as well. France, a pampered white Persian who rarely ventured outdoors, reluctantly agreed to search for Romano. Prussy, a large also white feline with blazing red eyes who usually went outside, trooped along with his pals.

"Ah, but Spain, how can we be assured your little Romano is in a tree, or even in the neighborhood anymore?" France asked with a thick dosage of French accent.

"He doesn't really climb trees so maybe he got attacked by a mean man or chased by a dog. Poor Roma might have raced up there to save himself!" Spain answered.

"Well the awesome me says we start over in Alfred's house! He's got a bunch of oak trees in his backyard. Let's move, cats!" Prussy cried, a German tone of voice inherited from his owner cloaking the loud meow.

With a crazed battle cry, the trio charged into Alfred F. Jones' leaf covered backyard. The many towering oak trees Prussy had promised stood exposed. Their leaves had died and moved on to the ground. Large piles of autumn kissed leaves sat in the corners of the yard with a few left outside of the mounds. France, the only one with a properly working brain in the trio, had a feeling Alfred would be angry if three cats crashed into all of his leaf piles the American spent two weeks putting together. Already he saw Prussy squatting low to leap. Spain was investigating one hill of fallen pieces of nature with his sensitive brown nose.

"Wait!" France squealed.

"Ah, come on! The awesome me doesn't wait!" Prussy complained.

"Why are we waiting? My Roma is lost, cold, sad and everything and you want me to wait! I refuse! ROMA~!" Spain cried as he dove into a pile of leaves, the heap swallowing him.

"Wait up, buddy!" Prussy yelled before he followed his friend into the leaves.

"All the leaves are on the ground! It's obvious Romano's not in a tree or he would have been seen already! You idiots, stop!" France yelled to no one.

France simply searched around the backyard while sneaking peeks at the shifting mountain of leaves. The tall pile threatened to fall as it swayed from side to side. After fifteen breath holding minutes, France finally leapt into the pile himself. Inside the feline was surrounded by an array of amazing colors: fiery red, golden yellows, and bright oranges. The sunset of colors grabbed the cat's attention. This enchantment was broken as Prussy fell on top him. Yowling wildly, France pushed the other cat off only to be smashed by the heavy mass known as Spain. Spain screamed in surprise when he landed on his friend and recoiled backward, out of the pile. Well, take one of four walls in a square house and does the house stand? If you answer yes you have officially failed math class. The pile toppled. Leaves were scattered all over the backyard, undoing the man's hard work. France and Prussy tumbled to the grassy ground to the sound of a car door closing. Of course Alfred was home. Just of freaking course.

"So does anyone care to make a run for it?" Prussy asked calmly.

"Oh why yes I do. How about you Spain?" France meowed.

"A run right now would be lovely, my friends. Let's!" Spain purred before leading the fleeing friends out of Alfred's backyard.

As the felines escaped outside of Alfred's view, the American strolled into his backyard. He was rather cheerful today: he hadn't failed his college exam, his favorite burger joint had that cute English guy working at the drive thru thus Alfred ordered an extra large triple burger with the works, and his brother was going to be home late so the house was Alfred's until tomorrow! The American could practically feel the victory dance coming on. Said victory dance involved the swishing of hips, the jazzing of hands, and the every classic disco fever ending. Already Alfred was humming the jazzy tune. Then he came to his backyard.

"What the frick happened? Really? Just really? I spend two freaking weeks piling all of this up and it comes crashing down? I didn't even get to do my victory dance! Talk about a son of a-,"Alfred screamed angrily.

Long, powerful lines of endless curses could be heard from quite a ways down the street. The fearful feline had collapsed in Prussy's yard not too far from Alfred's now leaf covered abode. A white and brown lump had formed on Prussy's owner's lawn, created by the furry pets.

"Where could Roma be~? I want my Roma back!" Spain cried miserably.

"As I said before, your _petit chaton_* cannot be found. I am sorry but I do believe Roma is gone," France sighed, feeling sorry for his friend.

"Hey, dude! We can't give up now! Spain's Romano is missing and by the epic cat I am, we will find him! Now who's with me?" Prussy announced.

"We are!" France and Spain cheered with their spirits back on high.

"Then where are we checking next?" Prussy asked.

"I don't know. Maybe my daddy will talk about it more later today. He's staying over with Lovino now so I'll have to wait until he gets home. I'll find out some more info then!" Spain offered.

"Hm, no offense my dear friend, but I do not think you have the mental stability nor memory to tell us such facts. Would it be possible for us to come over to make sure we all hear about where your Roma is?" France questioned. "My owner will be gone until the day after tomorrow thus he will not know I am gone."

"Yeah, Gilbert won't know I'm gone either, but I bet Francis will notice if 'daddy's little kitty-witty precious pants' is gone! Kesesesese!" Prussy laughed, butting France with his nose.

"Oh shush. Your owner's usually drunk and he thought you were a female, 'Prussy-ia!" France shot back batting his fluffy white tail in Prussy's face.

Romano had discovered nothing normal about his new 'owner'. Sadiq left for his job at nine at very late hours. Then the man returned at six in the morning, which is when Romano would be fed the awful staring fish. He had grown tired the bland taste and longed for the spicy flavor of cheesy lasagna. What the man did after he fed his feline was completely unknown, making Romano feel uneasy at every second. For what he longed for so badly was another cat to meow to. America was very much missed, even though the cat had no idea how to close his furry mouth. Even the moody temperament of Iggy the Scottish Fold was desired. But missing someone doesn't bring them back, now does it? Yes, here I am giving you another chance to not fail in another subject. Guessing "of course it does!" will earn you a top-notch trip to kindergarten.

But one thing was for certain. Something else was upstairs. Every night when Sadiq arrived home, strange sounds could be heard faintly from up the dusty cellar stairs. Sadiq would be laughing or saying "Yes, I know you love me, big boys!". Who was that crazy Turkish man talking to, if anyone was there at all? No other sounds could be listened to after Sadiq's homecoming. This mysterious occurrence kept his mind off of Lovino, Spain, America, Iggy, and everyone he so desperately wanted to be with again….


	16. My Light, 'Boys', and Rings

Sadiq could be heard laughing and playing with someone upstairs. His hearty chuckle was loud with a long-lasting effect on the remains of Romano's soul. Once more, the thing triggering Sadiq's merriness was unknown. Romano had lost interest in the odd ways of his 'home'. Winter was coming, and the cellar couldn't be any colder. The feline's main worry was giving in to the cold's evil ways. Chilling gusts of icy winds flew around in the underground chamber when Sadiq carelessly left the basement door open. With short fur meant for warm weather, Romano could only curl into a tight ball to try to preserve heat he would never get back. Oh, how he longed to have Spain's large furry tail curled around him. Romano still remembered that day on the porch, where this all began. Lovino was picking tomatoes, Antonio was coming home from work, and Spain…. The other cat was intertwined with Romano, creating a circuit of warmth. A skinny tail mixed with another fur clad tail, the owners of the tails happily resting. When Romano was cold inside of his past house, Lovino would take him into his smooth arms. Cradling the feline with as much tenderness as mother to a small child, Lovino had cuddled the cat until his purrs drowned out all other sound. Then Lovino would coo to him in a voice barely over a whisper, a calming tone Romano loved. These comforting thoughts were whisked away as cold air rushed around the room.

"God, I am going to freeze down here!" Romano meowed the partially frigid morning. "Just think warm thoughts….Spain's warm tail, Lovino's soft arms…."

"Mr. Kitty, I am home!" Sadiq announced. "You missed Sadiq, no?"

"Heck no," Romano mewed, but Sadiq took it as a 'yes' and laughed.

"Soon you meet my boys. You will love them, yes you will," Sadiq cooed in an eerie tone. "Would you like to know who they are?"

"How about no, you worthless jerk."

"I knew Mr. Kitty would! But you will have to wait until they get back from Greece. They are there to visit their mama. When they come back you will find out who they are, yes, yes!" Sadiq cried happily, wagging his finger in the air. "These three are rather old, true, but they are as sweet as candy! In fact, they are like candy dipped in sugar wrapped in cotton candy! Also the boys are so..."

Ignoring Sadiq's happy rant, Romano decided he might as well attempt to be interested. Maybe they'd want to play with him or bring him upstairs into the warm house. Yet if they were anything like Sadiq these hopes were highly impossible. Why couldn't humans be more like cats? Romano was sure world peace would come sooner if everyone used a litterbox and licked themselves daily.

"Spain, why are you and your friends covered in leaves?" Antonio asked as his beloved feline returned to the house with his pals in tow.

Thankfully, Antonio had not heard Alfred's angry screams and known why the cats were shrouded in dead leaves. The trio was often at one of the three owners' homes thus them being here was not a surprise. Antonio was very much used to cleaning these guys up after a mishap. However, when it came to _how_ they got in trouble, all he'd have to figure this out was to see which neighbor was screaming curses at the top of their lungs. Prussy, France, and Spain all looked up with innocent eyes. If you read the last chapter, you would know very good and well how _un_-innocent these felines were.

"Of course you guys come to me when you're messy. Eh, we might as well get those leaves off you, right?" Antonio gleefully cooed. "At least you didn't drown Toris' canaries this time, right? Right?..."

The three felines were dumped in the upstairs bathtub. Warm water swam around the fluffy _gatos_* while Antonio got the soap for the bath. Bubbles floated around the room as Spain and Prussy attempted to put the bubbles in their mouths. France was content with simply soaking in the relaxing water, for he was a proper Persian cat, thank you very much. While he stroked his feline Antonio sighed.

"Spain, I don't know what to do," Antonio murmured. "Lovi's so sad about losing Romano I don't think I can comfort him enough. Maybe I should ignore his protesting and get him a kitten or something…What do you think, huh? Would you like to play with a new kitty?"

"So _that's _what happened!" Prussy cried. "Investigation done! Let's break out the catnip!"

"NO, it's not done, Prussy. I'm afraid we still are unaware where Romano happens to be," France snapped back. "And you know catnip makes you crazy."

"It does not make me crazy! I just bump into a few lamps is all! ATTACK!" Prussy squealed before pouncing on his Persian pal.

As Prussy and France rolled around in the tub, Spain sulked. Where was Romano? Spain just needed to see him one last time, dead or alive. Just brushing his head against Romano's little warm body would let him rest peacefully at last for he would know he'd found his Roma. Thus Spain refused to give until the day he touched Romano's plush fur. Until the day Romano's tail was curled around Spain again. Until the day the light at the end of the dark path was spotted. But would the light want to be found?

It was the day of Sadiq's "boys" return. Romano had only been aware of this because Sadiq had stayed home all day so he wouldn't be late picking them up. However, Romano caught pieces of a strange conversation.

"…Sweetie, how were they?...Good, good. I have a….he's really small but he'll defin….I know you love ca…make sure Dadaş is in the front. You know how much he hates being….Toma…well, I don't like your mother. In fact, we hate each other. Yes, I did marry…*sigh*…OK, my sweet Greek man, I'll let her keep them more often. She rarely….I won't ta….such a big….eek! My poor Toma! He must feel like thro….! Dearest, I'll at the airport in an hour. Then we can….again….Mr. Kitty will meet the boys! See you then, love!" Sadiq swooned into a phone.

Antonio glared once again at the piece of metal in his tanned hand. He wanted it to shine like the bright stars that were once present in his boyfriend's eyes but it refused to. He had told the jewelry store to make it dazzle the beholder. Never trust jewelry makers, Antonio cruelly thought. From anyone else's point of view, the gold band was as stunning as the sun. Over the past few days, Antonio's cheerfulness has transformed into stress. Shining colors no longer could be seen by the Spanish man. All he saw of the ring was an ugly brass-like color. Angry with the golden item, Antonio flung it around the study.

"Who invented giving someone a ring as a way to marry them, huh? I mean, why can't I give them a giant radish or my eternal love? What's with this world and material things? I hate gold," Antonio muttered before pouting at the ring. "Screw gold. I've got to find another way to get my meaning across…."

Spain padded into the room, cheerless as well. Falling into a brown pile in front of his beloved master, Spain meowed miserably to his Antonio. Antonio smiled a bit. He picked Spain up and set him into his lap.

"Aw, I'm sorry you miss Romano," Antonio began. Then, a brilliant idea spouted in his mind.

"Spain, you're a genius! I'll give Lovi a new kitty! He'll love it! And he'll love _me_ even more!"


	17. Comebacks, Windows, and Hatred

"Hey, I'm 'Merica!" shouted a loud meow towards a certain Spaniard.

"This is our liveliest cat. He's a charmer too," the Hungarian woman who ran the front desk commented as she showed the feline to Mr. Fernandez Carriedo. "But he doesn't seem to like being without the Scottish Fold over there. They came here together, so you'll have to take both if you're interested. The Fold is a bit irritable but he can be sweet when he's with his friend."

"Hm…you know what, I'll take both! The more the merrier!" Antonio happily chirped.

"Great! Let's get the paperwork done, sir."

The moment the humans had gone, pandemonium exploded in the dull cat room. Most of the adult felines were cheering, Iggy was panicking, several kittens were scared, and, for once, America was silent. It's a strange moment when someone suddenly wants to make your life better after years of just managing your losses one after another. Try imagining having no eyesight for ten years. Then, all of a sudden, someone figures out how to restore your empty eyes. Once more you see the world around you instead of dealing with your loss. America and Iggy both felt this way at the time. This caramel colored man had felt the urge of wanting both America and his Iggy. Finally, someone had come to love them again, just like Kimmy Brown had.

"Iggy….." America managed to sputter.

"America…." Iggy met his emerald eyes with his friend's azure ones.

Soon Antonio was back with two medium sized carriers. Of course the cages were tomato red, for this _is_ Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, the master of tomatoes. Iggy cowered behind his large bicolor companion. America puffed up his colorless chest and the fluffy black collar of fur around his neck. No one was going to hurt them.

"Oh, don't worry, you two. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to put you in the car. My kitty Spain gets carsick if he sees the moving road, so I thought you guys would feel better in a closed area," Antonio cheerfully assured.

"Iggy, it's OK. I think he won't lay a hand on us. But if he hits you I'm breaking his bones. You know I'm right here beside you. You're not going to get touched," America said bravely.

America sat proudly in front of his new owner. Iggy plopped himself next to his larger friend. Both were ready to make the next step on their journey. Yes, 'journey'. These faithful felines refused to be separated come Frenchmen, flood, or certain death. Ever so gently Antonio put both cats in separate cages. The carriers were too small for two felines in one but the inseparable buddies would be facing each other. After a meow good bye to the animals they once shared a room with for three years, America and Iggy were put into the front seat of a large crimson car. An engine roared the vehicle awake. The time for renewal had begun.

* * *

><p>"Spain~! Look what daddy's got for you!" Antonio called as he entered his huge abode with the two cages concealing the new cats.<p>

Crawling out from under the deep red couch in the upstairs living room, Spain dragged himself to the front door. His depression had deepened thus the large feline barely moved around these days. Antonio had given up trying to cheer Spain up several days ago. This, once again, seemed to be a pointless attempt to raise Spain's hollowing spirits. Meowing in greeting, Spain was about to dismiss himself to a corner. Then he saw the two cages. One meow emitted from a cage. Romano?

"Romano? Is that you~?" Spain inquired weakly.

"No dude! I'm America!" America cried.

Antonio kneeled on the ground and unlocked the two cages. A small and slightly depressed looking cat with folded ears scrambled out. The one who had meowed before turned out to be a feline rivaling Spain's size. His black collar of fur was puffed up in defense. Spain crouched down to make himself smaller. He truly didn't want to scare the large feline. Seeing how the unknown cat was not a threat, the Scottish Fold rubbed his cheek against the bicolor other's massive body. This calmed the large cat; America settled down next to his tiny friend.

"You guys get acquainted. I'll be right back. I have to check in on Lovi~!" Antonio said as he closed the front door behind him.

Silence claimed the tense air until America couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore.

"How do you know Romano?" America asked, titling his head to one side.

"You know Roma~?" Spain screamed.

"….Great. Two loud cats. Ug, anyways, he was at our pound for a few weeks. Then some Turkish man adopted him and—," Iggy started.

"Roma's not dead! Thank god!" Spain cried happily.

"Oho! I guess you're Spain, dude! I'm America, the best cat in this country. And this grumpy guy is my bestest buddy Iggy!"

"….He talked about me?"

"Please, man! He couldn't stop about his big warm Spain and his sweet Lovino. I'm guessing your human Antonio just went to see Romano's past owner. Lovi sounds like Lovino. Only shorter. It's sort of like how 'Merica' is the short version of 'America', which is my name."

"He's the smart one," Iggy muttered.

"…Huh? Oh yeah, my daddy's been dating Lovi since they were in high school," Spain murmured after regaining his control. "But that's not the point! Where did the turkey take my Roma?"

"'Turkish', genius. A turkey is a flightless bird humans eat on Thanksgiving. A Turkish person is someone who comes from the country of Turkey," Iggy wisely lectured.

"There's a country made from flightless birds?" America and Spain both questioned with surprised looks.

Giving up, Iggy sighed. "Yes, of course. What _was _I thinking? And the country of Greece is extremely slippery and you can make hamburgers on the streets! The country of Chile is super spicy! Look in an atlas; you'll find even more crappy puns."

"I knew it. Anyways, Roma said-why is there a big white cat sitting on your windowsill?" America said with a motion to one of the large front windows.

Prussy was pounding on the slightly hoarfrost covered window with his entire body. Screaming profanities in German, Prussy looked urgent. His colorless fur was puffed up. With his paws also banging the translucent glass, Prussy's white claws were working on the window itself. Spain went through his cat door to the world outside. Winter air bit at his pink nose. Snow had not yet come but a glistening frost cased everything. Unable to resist the strangeness of this feline, America tramped outside after Spain. Iggy figured the only smart had better go with them thus he walked along with them.

"Prussy, what is wrong with you?" Spain angrily barked. With all of this added stress, Spain's bottled up anger kept bubbling up at random people.

"What took you so long? I might have given up," Prussy whimpered before panicking again. "You have got to see what is going on next door! Move your furry ass, Spain! Bull crap's going down! We're talking drama!"

"Oh~drama! Can I come?" America squealed.

"Whatever. I need to see what happened with my daddy! Daddy~!" Spain cried as he raced to Lovino's house.

All four felines leapt onto a windowsill that looked into Lovino's house's first floor. Looking in the back window in Lovino's house, the felines could see the two men in the living room. Lovino was sitting on the couch, his mouth moving. Antonio looked hurt; his eyebrows were crinkled and he seemed to have become smaller. Now Lovino was standing. Any idiot could tell Lovi was yelling at his boyfriend. This, of course, is the only reason three of the four cats—Iggy does not fit into this—could follow along. His curl creased, Lovino was yelling so loudly he could be heard from even from where their pets were sitting.

* * *

><p>"I told you not to get me another cat, you idiot! Can't you just listen for fifteen seconds?" Lovino was yelling at Antonio when he delivered the news of the new arrivals. "Screw if you thought it'd 'be healthy'! I don't want to deal with anymore cats!"<p>

"But Lovi, I-," Antonio tried to say.

"I don't care! You are a freaking bastard who can't understand anyone or anything!" Lovino was red with fury as he spat out the hurtful phrases.

"We were going to—I didn't mean to—why are you so angry?" Antonio sputtered. "I only did this because I thought you were still upset about Romano, so I went to a shelter. Then I bought two kitties-."

"Two! Oh, this just gets better and better. What in the hell do you expect me to do with two cats? Do you even use your brain? Then again your brain is practically empty. Ug, I guess this is why you were single in high school until I stupidly agreed to date you. I should have seen _that_ warning sign," Lovino growled, bringing up an old flare.

"Lovino Vargas! I was single because I had a crush on you! We both know that. Thankfully I stayed loyal to my crush and then I asked you out. God knows why I stayed loyal! You didn't even like me! Sure, you thought I was cute and all, but Belle was the one who forced you to go on a date with me. Would you have done it if Belle didn't care or force you?"Antonio yelled back.

"Most likely not, tomato jerk."

"You know what….hm. Lovi, I must have been crazy to begin to care about you. All through middle school and all of ninth grade _I was in love_! With you! Am I really the dumb one? Well, yes, because I keep coming back to you. But no, since you don't understand all that I did to try and get you to like me better. I've spent too much time, money, attention, and energy with you. I'm leaving," Antonio angrily snarled in an out of character sort of way.

"Fine. Just leave me alone, I really don't care," Lovino whispered, quietly starting to regret his words.

Antonio marched to the front door in a fiery rage. Before leaving in a very soap-opera-like way, Antonio swiftly turned and gave away his plans:

"Oh, and by the way, before I noticed our cruel you were, I was planning to marry you. I was going to put the ring on a necklace. Then one of the new cats would wear the necklace and run over here. I figured you wouldn't want a big show so I would put a note on the cat's necklace saying '_Will you marry me_?'. But screw that. I guess I'll see you when I work on my tomato garden tomorrow. Hopefully not," Antonio coldly admitted to his ex-boyfriend. "Good bye."

* * *

><p>Oh no! Is this the end? I don't know; I haven't written the next chapter yet. Anyways, Read and Review! I love suggestions, so if you want something or have an idea for the story just leave a review or PM me! Me no bite! :) Next time on <em>Why Does He Care?<em>: We meet Turkey's 'boys'!


	18. Biz Boys tanışın! We Meet the Boys

Upstairs, _barking_ could be heard. Loud, hungry, energetic rasps of barking emitting from the floor above. Romano, who had an idea were the thunderous yapping was coming from, crouched low in a freezing corner of the icy underground room. Winter had reached its peak; icicles hung solid from the high ceiling. Puddles from previous leaks took away what little warmth remained in the room. Sadiq would be down any second to—

"Oh Mr. Kitty! Would you like to meet the boys?" Sadiq yelled as he raced down the steps, trailed by three dogs.

If you have a dog, then you may know this. Many dog owners call their pooches demeaning nicknames, such as Ozzie becoming 'Ozzie-Wozzie' or Fluff being dubbed 'Fluffles McCutey Pants'. Yes, even Sadiq called his dogs something other than their names. Since he's been misleading you this entire time, I'll let you in on a little secret. Of course, Sadiq can't have tiny Chihuahuas or gentle Basset Hounds. This would make things much too easy in the troubled life of Romano…whatever Sadiq's last name was. Actually, no; Romano still considered himself Lovino's cat, thus he was Romano Vargas, forever and always. But he was focused on the size of Sadiq's 'boys'. Three large and muscular **Pit Bulls** sat obediently at Sadiq's tall boots. As Sadiq introduced them, Romano grew even more frightened. Toma was the youngest, a black medium sized mutt with a white blaze. Unlike the others, Toma seemed to have a kind aura around him. Balsan, middle pup, had a barrel chest. His great build made him ideal for killing. This dog's coat seemed to be splashed in colors. The middle dog appeared to be a dark blue—which is a sort of grey color-, black, and white canvas.

Then there was the vicious looking one. He was a russet towering specimen with a drooling face. One eye was an icy blue rivaling the ice hanging around the room. The other seemed to be colored an unnatural snake green. With a gigantic height that reached Sadiq's waist, Dadaş, whose name meant "big brother" in Turkish, was most certainly the eldest. His muscles rippled when he walked down the stairs. Romano cowered simply at the sight of him.

"…and these are my boys! Mr. Kitty, they will be here for several weeks. They are mine normally but their mama keeps them sometimes. But it is a hassle to go to the freaking airport just to get my boys! Not that I don't love them, of course. …What is that Balsan?" Sadiq cheerfully said.

Dogs, cats, turtles, and all animals speak the same language. They may sound completely different yet they are all saying the same thing. Fido and Fluffy might sound like they are fighting. However, if you spoke their strange tongue, then you'd understand why: they were wondering why their owner gave them such crappy names. This is why Romano was able to understand Balsan's response.

"I said 'may we chase the cat, father?' He seems to be able to put up a good fight, I'd say," Balsan answered in a voice as cold as hot ice.

"Ooo~! I want to chase, Balsan! Can I, can I, can I—" Toma began, bouncing up and down with happiness.

"Gah, shut up, Toma!" the deep voice of Dadaş snapped at his younger brother.

"Yes, big brother, sorry," Toma muttered sadly. "But can I chase the cat?"

The other dogs didn't dignify their brother's barking with a reply. Suddenly, Sadiq bent down and captured Romano in his strong arms. Romano was now in Sadiq's crushing grip. Sadiq started up the long flight of stairs with his large mutts not too far behind. Even from Sadiq's great height, he could see the bulging muscles of the dogs. This was quite unsettling. Yet it is doubted this whole situation wasn't at the very least extremely scarring.

"Mr. Kitty has never been upstairs, boys. I think he might like it up there," Sadiq explained to his dogs. "You will all learn to…play…with one another."

"Play together my ass….," Balsan, a rather foulmouthed Pitt Bull, muttered.

"That's a bad word! Dadaş, Balsan just cursed! Dadaş! Dadaş! Are you even listening?" Toma attempted to tattle. Yet no one answered him and now discouraged young pup remained silent.

Sadiq's house upstairs wasn't as horrible as the basement. It was actually fairly nice; pale blue satin curtains hung from the windows and a plush tan couch in the center of the room. Tiffany lamps sat pretty on smooth mahogany side tables. Warm daylight poured in from the front windows. You know, it didn't seem like such a creepy man would live in such a nice house. All three boys jumped onto individual armchairs. Toma's chair was royal purple, Balsan's was obsidian black, and Dadaş had a garnet red chair. Each dog looked rather regal while lying leisurely on their chair. Sadiq sat himself on the tan couch with Romano in his lap. Once more, things were unsettling as the Turks hands flew around Romano's head.

"Ah, Mr. Kitty, see? The boys are not beasts. They are as tame as tame gets! You, on the other hand, need to be tamed. Your past owner seems to suck at taming his animal," Sadiq commented as he stroked Romano's cream colored fur.

Lovino. Lovino Vargas. Romano suddenly felt angry at the man holding him. How dare this jerk say Lovino did a horrible job raising him? He didn't even know Lovino! Then again, if he did, he'd know how the spicy Italian mouth and angry outbursts rubbed off on his past feline. But still it was unfair for Sadiq to assume something like that. Romano, filled with bubbling anger and crackling fire, remembered his flight to Antonio's leg. This rage almost matched his fury back then. Because of his emotions, Romano sunk his teeth into Sadiq's bare hand. Sadiq yelped before…laughing?

"Hahaha! See, Mr. Kitty, this is why you need to be tamed. You are too angry and too outspoken for me! Thus I will let my precious Dadaş train you in the magical art of obedience! Dadaş! Come!" Sadiq declared. As instructed, the Pit Bull leapt off his throne and placed himself in front of Sadiq.

"Don't worry, Mr. Kitty. You will be tamed."


	19. Forgetting and Plans

"I hate Lovi sometimes," Antonio muttered as he tended to his beloved garden.

As you may remember, Antonio and Lovino had ended their relationship a few weeks ago. Antonio, still angry with Lovino's actions, was furiously pulling out flimsy weeds. Stabbing at the soft dirt with a spade, Antonio seemed to be taking his anger out on anything without a pulse. Spain's catnip filled toys were mercilessly kicked across the carpet. Wine bottles, once empty, flew in the air only to crash against the hard wall in a painful ending. In fact, Antonio had gotten so violent Spain had taken to hiding under his warped owner's double bed until Antonio trapped himself in a restless, twisting slumber. Spain had learned to stay at a distance and simply was observing his owner with concern.

"Meow," Spain mumbled as he watched Antonio from the back porch.

This snapped Antonio out of his rage for a matter of seconds. A few seconds were enough for Antonio realize he'd crushed several tomatoes on accident. His now rough grip had squished the fruits into a pale red pulp. Tiny seeds sloshed around with the chunky liquid. The green vine the plants used to be on was ripped to pieces. Antonio's bottom lip quivered; now even his precious tomatoes had suffered. Two things used to rule the man's heart: his darling little tomatoes and Lovino. Simply thinking of his past lover boiled the Spaniard's already heated blood.

"This is Lovi's fault. All of it. If he'd been ugly in high school then maybe I wouldn't have liked him. Or maybe Belle shouldn't have asked him to go on a date with me. Actually, I probably should have kept liking girls, for god's sake!" Antonio crossly growled, throwing the remains of the tomatoes at the fence. As they splattered, leaving a wounded stain, Antonio quieted."Ug, I just…hm. It's my own fault for loving him in the first place."

* * *

><p>"I forgot I cared about him," Lovino muttered as he ran a hand through his brown locks. "I can't believe I forgot. Why did I forget?"<p>

Unlike Antonio, Lovino had taken a difference course to deal with his heartbreak: depression. Lying in bed for several hours once he returned from work was Lovino's way of trying to forget about Antonio. Yet when someone hurts someone else that badly, it is hard to forget about their presence in your life. Iggy, who Lovino decided to keep, was curled in the crook of Lovino's arm. Thanks to Iggy's past skills with Kimmy Brown, the feline was a master at reading emotions. Lovino needed someone to cuddle; Iggy would happily fill that position. America had tried to cheer Lovino up by endlessly meowing cheers but ended up being banished downstairs. His lonely yowls were still audible even through a closed door.

Tears didn't feel the need to be present on Lovino's face. He just did not feel the urge to cry over Antonio, even though the thought of a lost proposal couldn't force the Italian to begin the waterworks. Besides, Lovino kept thinking, the marriage would have just fallen apart like this did right after it started, right? Lovino wouldn't let himself think of him and Antonio having a happy marriage. Though, with enough understanding and love, maybe it would have worked out—no. Pushing this thought out of his clouded mind, Lovino continued to wallow in his deep sorrow.

* * *

><p>Romano rocked dangerously on a striped hammock on Sadiq's back porch. Sadiq was out and had let his pets outside. The older two of the Pit Bull trio Sadiq owned stuck to sunbathing. Romano had jumped onto the hammock out of fear. Toma, the youngest, had plopped himself next to the feline. It was obvious the young mutt had no intentions of hurting Romano. He simply wanted a friend who wouldn't yell or scold him constantly while Romano desperately needed a little love.<p>

"Hi!" Toma chirped with joy.

Romano remained silent, dipping into his great depression. Seriously, Toma sounded too much like the perky Spanish cat he'd left behind.

"I'm sorry I said I wanted to chase you. My brothers say stuff like that all of the time and Sadiq likes them better. I want Sadiq to like me too!" Toma said. "But Sadiq's new favorite is you."

"What?" Romano questioned, confused.

Why would Sadiq like him? Actually, this question kept haunting Romano. What was the reason Sadiq had marched into the shelter that day? The Turkish man had three large dogs already. And there were plenty of friendlier cats just waiting to be adopted. Romano had been seated at the back of his metal prison for the cats didn't unlock the crates when humans were in the room. Wait, why on earth would a dog person adopt a person-hating cat?...

"I said he loves you~!" Toma bubbled.

"Why…?" Romano slowly asked.

"'Cause he needs you for a project. I'm not old enough to help him in his project. I'm only a puppy. Only my big brothers can work on the project," Toma sadly murmured. "But even when I get older the project will be over."

"What project?"

"Well~….OK, if you promise not to tell anyone I'll tell you!"

"I swear I won't tell anyone. Now tell me, dang it!" Romano was practically bouncing from the anticipation. Also possibly he was jumping from hidden fear.

"OK, so my brothers started training for Sadiq's little project a couple of years ago…." Toma began.

* * *

><p>The furry lump on Antonio's couch happened to be Spain. At a glance the furry pet looked like a pillow or a stuffed animal. Limp like a ragdoll and stiff on the inside like burnt bread was the poor cat. By now you may have expected his depression to bottom out already. Spain didn't deal with emotions in a normal way; he often did the opposite of what was expected. For example, in the rare times when the cat was angry, he endlessly purred and never left Antonio's side. With a case of the permanent blues Spain just lay wherever anyone put him. Said place could even be in the driveway, under one of flourishing rose bushes in Toris' backyard, or, possibly, in a glass coffin six feet under the earth.<p>

"Are you ever going to stop moaning and groaning, dude? C'mon, let's explore!" Prussy said, who was sitting on the couch with Spain.

"No…I don't feel like it," Spain muttered.

"OK then. Time for Plan G, France!" Prussy cried as he and the Persian jumped from their places.

France and Prussy knocked Spain off of the couch with their heads. With a yelp Spain landed on the ground. Whimpering, the Spanish cat gave in and let his friends drag him into the outside world.

A playful spring had sprung across the neighborhood. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the perfect day. Matthew was sitting on his lawn tending to his blooming azaleas. Toris, wary of the prowling felines across from his house, carefully was letting his canaries—the ones Prussy hadn't eaten—out for some fly time. Hundreds of yellow birds flew to the garden fence.

"Must…catch…BIRDY!" Prussy cried with a crazed laugh as he tore to the fence. Thankfully Toris ran over to shoo him away.

"Stupid birds…I should have eaten 'em when I had the chance!"Prussy yelled as Toris glared at him.

"My dear Prussy, you are aware your owner leaves fresh food outside every other hour, right? You don't need to eat birds," France commented.

"…I need to feel manly," Prussy flatly muttered.

"Yes you do. Can I go home yet?" Spain asked.

* * *

><p>Yes I know this was extremely uneventful but this is just a bit of a reminder of how everyone is! Anyways, next time: Ze Plan! Read and Review! :)<p> 


	20. Projects and Escape

Large Pit Bulls snapped brutally at others' necks. From inside a closed steel cage, Dadaş snarled at others before he gripped their leg or neck to drag them into a final sleep. Balsan rolled around with a blue and white female, her back dripping with crimson, his left hind leg in shreds. Drool, fresh blood, and battered dogs scattered the cement where the dangerous game was being played. Men of all ages were cheering for the strongest, fiercest dogs battling it out in the steel cage. Sadiq was placing bets on his two strong dogs plus happily yelling for Balsan and Dadaş. Toma was sitting off to the side of Sadiq, knowing his brothers would fight until their clocks of life quickly ticked down to the last seconds. Finally, twenty terrible minutes later, Sadiq's towering Pit Bulls were the only ones left standing. The rest lay on the ground in a permanent rest amongst the red liquids.

"Alright, everyone pay up! My boys are the last standing! Dadaş, Balsan, come!" Sadiq cried, collecting his money and opening the steel cage's door to let his boys out. "Next time we do this and I win, the payment is double, understand?"

* * *

><p>Toma looked utterly scarred when he arrived home with his bandaged brothers. The older dogs each had a limp, with Balsan having an eye patch. Romano had been let out of the dark basement; Sadiq apparently needed it for something. Normally Romano couldn't have cared less if someone walked in with wide eyes and pure silence but Toma was the only one he had now. Leaping down from the couch where he was laying, the small cat followed the larger dog to the spare bedroom upstairs. It was unlike the chatty dog to be so silent. As cat and dog tramped along the hallway, Toma's expression remained grimly upset. For the first time since he lived with his Lovino and Spain, Romano showed internal and external concern for the small pup. Once in the bedroom, Toma leapt onto the plush bed and sat there, seemingly frozen with cold fear.<p>

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Aren't you going to cover me in drool or tackle me?" Romano asked, going over the dog's usual greeting before jumping onto the bed with the dog.

"…" Toma did not answer. He simply glared into the bed sheets, which were a charming deep purple, the same color mountains are when the sun hits them just right.

"Oi. Look, what's the matter? You look like you've just seen the ghost of someone or something," Romano muttered.

"I saw…saw…lots of fighting. I hate this…project, everyone calls it. My brothers got hurt," Toma mumbled, staring off into the world outside of a window.

"Wait, what? How—what—gah! Explain just a little bit more than that!" Romano hissed.

Cowering a bit, Toma added more onto his story, "I watched other dogs bite each other and all this red stuff went all over the floor. Some tried to get out of the cage but their own owners threw 'em back in…I didn't know the project was…like this. Romano, I was crazy to be so happy about the project! I don't ever want to fight like that!"

Sighing, Romano rubbed his cheek against Toma's black face. "Calm down, kid. And I was wondering what 'the project' was. But you know those things are hard to stop; you're probably next in line for fighting."

"I don't want to fight!" Toma cried, and with that, began to howl.

"Silence! Geez, mutts these days…look, maybe if someone found out about the fights they could stop them. My friend Spain's…daddy, or whatever…volunteers at an animal shelter. God, if I only knew where it freaking was!"

"Spain? You keep talking about him, but you never give any details. Who is he?" Toma asked, his usual quirky attitude back to stay.

"Well…he was a good friend of mine. His owner and my owner had been dating for awhile. I think they would have gotten married if I hadn't screwed everything up. But I did and there's no going back because, apparently, the universe hates me!"

Snuggling closer to tense Romano, Toma laid his big head next to Romano's tiny body. "Well, if it makes anything better, I like you. I like you a lot."

"Thanks, kiddo. You know, I take back what I thought about the world: the shelter isn't so evil and dogs, some, aren't so annoyingly evil."

"Yea~! But what you said about the fights stopping…they don't have to stop. What if the dogs just left and found someone nice to take care of them?" Toma suggested. "You know what, if you take me to a nice person and they keep me, then I'll help you escape. I bet you want to get back to Lovino, don't you?"

"Is it in that order?"

"Um…no. Escape first, person second." Toma thoughtfully murmured. "Deal?"

"Deal," Romano said with a slight nod.

And with that, it was a great deal.


	21. Lovi Dovey, Toma and Roma

Escape was highly necessary in the dangerous game Romano was forced to play. Escaping Sadiq was the only way to get back to the world Romano once knew: his favorite little Italian Lovino, the snuggly idiot known as Spain, and even the cheerful Spaniard Antonio. Soon, if Toma and Romano's crazed plan worked out as it was supposed to, the four would be reunited again. But they would be together after Toma found a stable home. The feline had not forgotten his promise.

As Romano hadn't noticed, about one and a half seasons, the seasons being winter and part of spring, had passed without his awareness. So whenever Sadiq let his pets outdoors, Romano had to gain back some of his depression due to his love of spring. He had missed part of it; what else had he missed because of his prison? Right about now, he'd think often, Lovino would be harvesting his tomatoes in the backyard. Antonio would be directly across from him, kneeling down and pulling the red fruit from the vine. Hm…Spain would be curled around me like he did every year during harvesting. Tail and tail, fuzzy sides placed perfectly together. Purrs melted together like butter on popcorn. Hm…so warm and pleasant…

"Romano~!" Toma barked, as he jumped playfully on the daydreaming feline.

Romano hissed before regaining his posture. "Toma. Now that we've said each other's names, can you get the heck off of me?"

"Sorry, sorry! Please, can we go over the plan one last time? Please, oh please?" Toma whispered, not wanting anyone else to overhear their conversation.

"Fine! OK, first, Sadiq has to leave the house…."

"Honhonhon, Antonio, what are you so angry about? You never minded my…exploring…before!" Francis, the owner of France the Persian, whimpered.

"That was before I figured out was molesting was. Now leave me alone. Can't you see I'm trying to burn a hole in the ceiling with my eyes?" Antonio grumbled before turning back to the ceiling above.

Francis and Gilbert were standing over their other best friend. They had come over after Antonio had stopped answering his cell phone. Gilbert frowned with concern and Francis pouted while stroking his tiny blonde beard.

"C'mon, at least go to a bar or drink a little wine, buddy! Whenever you're sad Fran and the awesome me usually have to drag your ass out of bed you're so drunk!" Gilbert pointed out, poking Antonio's tanned cheeks.

"I don't want any wine," Antonio muttered, rolling over.

"Antonio doesn't want any…? Dear God, it's the apocalypse!" Gilbert cried before running from the room.

"Dramatic. Antonio, dear, how do you expect to feel any better if you don't fulfill your destiny of marrying your little Lovino?" Francis asked, stroking Antonio's curly brown locks.

"Maybe if Lovino apologized then maybe I'd feel better. But he hasn't so I'm going to feel like crap for the rest of my life. And can I be honest with you, Fran?" Antonio mumbled as his French friend nodded, listening. Then Antonio sighed and turned back into his usual loving self. "I wanted to break down in front of Lovi and beg him to marry me right then and there on that day we had our breakup. But I got so angry, he was being so selfish. But I know he kept the two cats I bought him; I hear America all the time. The Scottish Fold I see outside with Lovi a lot since he just follows him around all of the time. Oh Fran, I really wanted to get married to my Lovi! I needed to take him off the market! (Gilbert: "How in the hell do you hear America? Don't we live in America?" Francis smacked him to be quiet.)

"It's stressful when you have a lover as handsome as my Lovi. Or had, that is. Anyway, girls flirted with him and he forgot about me sometimes when _we _were on _our_ date! And even boys whistled at him or winked. Then I'd be angry and Lovi doesn't like me when I'm angry. But even when we were angry at each other we always got right back together. My past secretary asked me who the cute boy in the picture on my desk was. When I said 'Oh he's my boyfriend Lovino!' she wondered if we were going to break up anytime soon. I don't care if she meant it to be a joke; I fired her on the spot. My next one knew better than to bother me for anything other than work.

"But then a lot of my co-workers were talking about their new wife or getting engaged to their special someone. I figured Lovi was my special someone so I called you up to help me decide how to ask him. But I never found time to ask him; we were looking for Romano, going on dates, and other stuff. Then I tried to use my cat idea but first I had to make him aware I'd bought the cats. He got so angry," Antonio stopped suddenly, bottom lip quivering. After that, the Spanish man wailed in full force. "I want my Lovi, damn it!"

"Alright, geez, we'll get your Italian, just give us a moment!" Francis soothed, grabbing Gilbert and dragging him next door.

When the doorbell rang in the Vargas household, Lovino was not in the mood for interruptions. He was sitting on the porch swing on his back porch. Iggy was sleeping against his knee with Lovino's hand slowly stroking his back. Lovino happened to be reading his favorite book and was getting to the good part when the freaking doorbell decided to be a jerk and ring! What the flying frick?

"Come on! Five seconds of relaxation is all I ask, dear God!" Lovino muttered before stomping to the wooden gate and swinging it open to the best friends of his ex.

"Ah, Lovino, there you are! Gilbert, grab him!" Francis commanded the German.

Lovino found himself being put over Gilbert's shoulder and being hauled over to Antonio's house next door. No, it never occurred to Francis or Gilbert that they could have just explained the situation and Lovino may have agreed. Maybe he would have understood and…pft. Never mind, I forgot this was Lovino we were talking about. Anyway, Lovino was carried into the Spaniard's house screaming curses in Italian. Antonio, his natural instinct to protect activating, rushed to the front room, where Gilbert was struggling to keep a hold on the now grounded Lovino.

"Will you hold still?" Gilbert yelled as he was elbowed sharply by Lovino.

"What are you idiots doing? I asked to go get him, not forcibly drag him here! My God, are you guys just _trying _to make my life even worse?" Antonio shouted, silencing everyone.

"…Sorry," Francis and Gilbert said in unison.

"Yeah, you'd better be. Lovi, did they hurt you? Don't worry; I'll kill them later," Antonio asked, suddenly shy around Lovino. "I'm sorry, Lovi. I asked them to go and get you. I should have just talked to you myself…" With that, Antonio looked at the smooth wood covering the floor.

"…Or you could kill them now," Lovino said, cocking his head a little.

Looking up in surprise, Antonio's mouth turned up just a tad. "I'm sure I could, Lovi! Or Lovino…which one am I supposed to call you now? I guess 'Lovi' is reserved for your boyfriend or whatever…"

"Don't have one anymore. It seems like almost every man in this crappy country is an idiot," Lovino commented.

"…Almost? You're one of the very few smart ones, but what other ones?" Antonio asked, stepping closer to Lovino.

Lovino smirked, which was a really rare thing for the Italian. He took a few steps until he was in front of the Spaniard. Then he looked Antonio up and down, his arms crossed. Finally, Lovino spoke:

"You, possibly. And it's Lovi, you idiot."


	22. Hanging off the Cliff of Love

Francis and Gilbert had snuck out a few seconds before Lovino had answered. Thankfully Antonio's perverted friends had left them alone for a little privacy. Now the Frenchman and the German were Francis' house, Gilbert furious on the pale blue couch and Francis petting his precious France. Unable to hold in his complaints any longer, only a few minutes after he had seated himself, Gilbert started an angry rant. As usual, Francis sensed it coming and began to think of ways to shut his German pal up faster.

"We should have stayed, damn it!" Gilbert growled. "Why'd you drag me out the door? I wanted to see if they got back together! You are ruining my epic life, slowly but surely!"

"No, no, Gil. If we'd stayed, we would have just been distractions. We need Antonio to keep his eyes on Lovino, not the weird antics of his friends. We came there to annoy Lovino into seeing how sorry Tonio was, remember?" Francis lectured, putting France in his lap as he sat down next to the fuming German. "If they didn't get back together then Antonio was sure to have painful regrets for the rest of his life. Either that or he'd get a girlfriend, and if _that _happened Lizzie's obsession with yaoi would crumble into violence for both our behinds. Besides, isn't it one of your retarded dreams to be a best man for either my wedding or Antonio's?"

"It's not retarded! It's more awesome than anything you could possibly think of, hmpf!" Gilbert shouted before quieting. "But yeah, I guess that was the plan. And maybe the awesome German sitting in front of you is sort of glad they got back together. Even more maybe, Tonio and Lovino are kind of cute together."

"See? Now don't you feel better knowing your assumptions are completely stupid? And that Francis is always right?" Francis gloated as he got up to playfully pinch Gilbert's cheek.

"Shut up. And stop pinching my face, ya rapist!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Lovino and Antonio were wallowing in Antonio's shocked silence. Lovino retained a cool expression while Antonio stood frozen. Lovi? Antonio could call him 'Lovi'? Wasn't that a special name reserved for only the chosen one? The only person in this world who would ever enter Lovino's heart and stay there without question? Could Antonio be the one to wield the golden key to Lovino's locked heart?<p>

"…I can call you Lovi again?" Antonio asked, warm green eyes wide.

"OK, so you're deaf _and _stupid?" Lovino sighed. "My god…yes, Antonio, you can call me Lovi or whatever the hell you want."

"I could—but Lovi I wanted to—we—hooray! OK, Lovi, you can beat me senseless for this later. And, once you are done stuffing my remains in a closet or bush somewhere, I will regret nothing!" Antonio cried before taking Lovino in his arms.

Lovino blushed as Antonio's strong Spanish arms wrapped around his slim waist and his hands settled on Lovino's lower back. Quickly turning his head away, Lovino tried to hide the increasing blush creeping up his face. Antonio smiled; he missed this quiet little pleasure so badly. He pressed Lovino against his chest. For just a moment, they simply stood there, snuggling and enjoying the familiar sounds of the other's calm breathing. Then Antonio titled Lovino's chin upwards towards Antonio's smiling face, forcing a pair of hazel eyes to meet with olive.

"Lovi. My Lovi," Antonio cooed softly as he stared lovingly into Lovino's eyes.

"You'd better not expect me to call you 'my dearest Tonio' or some other crappy nickname," Lovino scolded. "And don't call me Lovi in public until…you know, everything's…official. If things are going to get like that…"

Antonio's tanned face flushed pink with the thoughts of finally taking Lovino for his own. Thus, images of the life he wanted to create with Lovino swan through his usually empty brain: a new house, but it had to be quite large for future children. Though Lovino acted like he hated children with all the fire in his heart, whenever Antonio had to leave the classroom of his first graders for a bit, children swarmed Lovino. In fact, kids sometimes ended up fighting over who got to play with Mr. Fernandez Carriedo's boyfriend first. Anyways, other than a huge house, Antonio had planned more. First the house, then the adoption of two or three small children—not for pedophile use, you creeper! Antonio just wanted to raise kids, not get them during a weird time in their life—with the possible take in of a dog, next a vacation house in Italy, and finally simply relaxing with his Lovino until darkness permanently fell upon each of them.

"…Heh," Antonio was too lost in his hopes to answer Lovino right away, which of course ticked off the Italian greatly.

"Are you going to say something or are you just going to stand there looking like an idiot?" Lovino growled as he punched Antonio in the chest.

"Huh? Oh, Lovi, I love you. You're so cute, smart, talented in just about everything, and make my heart sour over every mountain, anthill, skyscrapers, whichever is tallest! And I know I might not be the coolest, the hottest, or the smartest-," Antonio told Lovino.

"God, are you ever right, Antonio," Lovino muttered.

"..But I want to make you happy, and being without love doesn't make a person happy. And I'm a passionate man and I want to hold my adorable Lovi close but would you let me?" Antonio asked, hope in his eyes.

"…Yes. And that doesn't mean you can molest me in my sleep again, bastard!"

"Darn! Nevertheless, I have to ask this," Antonio said before dropping to one knee and pulling a small black box out of his shirt pocket. He had never let it out of his sight.

"Lovi, can I hold you forever?"

* * *

><p>Sadiq left the house late the night of Toma and Romano's plan: the time was eleven twenty-four PM. The plan would have to carry out though it was late. Romano could see in the dark if there was even the slightest beam of moonlight. Thankfully, the waxing gibbous moon shined gleefully at just the right spots. Toma checked around to make sure everything was in order to carry out all of the necessary parts: Balsan and Dadaş were snoozing in their chairs, the front door's lock was reachable, and both cat and dog had full bellies and plenty of energy. The Pit Bull bounced with happiness; he was going to be freed from the threat of The Project.<p>

"Romano, Romano! Are you ready-edy yet? Please, we gotta go now," Toma whispered impatiently. "Romano~! Come on."

"Will you shut up?" Romano hissed as he stared at the front door's lock. "…OK, Iggy, please let your door unlocking skills be useful here."

As it turned out, all of Romano's mistakes became useful abilities later. Romano crouched low like he had before he attacked Antonio almost seven months back. With a great leap from the couch back to the lock, Romano sat on the large brass lock and loosened it with his muzzle. Though he hadn't quite gotten the hang of opening doors previous to leaving the shelter Romano had watched Iggy open enough doors to figure it out. The door swung open as Toma fully opened the door with his nose. Romano jumped down to the dog's back. Out the door they went, silent in the black night. Romano wasn't allowed outside after dark so the white stars were a surprise. Memorized, as Romano rode Toma he stared intensely at the sky. The twinkling stars seemed to lead their way to victory. That long-awaited victory was the promise of home, care, love, and people to call 'mine'. Both of the animals were so lost in thought they didn't notice they were right in the middle of the road.

And then a large truck nearby swerved. A sickening crash ensued.

* * *

><p>Haha, duel cliffhanger! What has happened with the car? Will Lovino say yes, or avoid the question all together? Well, I'm going to make you wait. *insert evil laugh* OK, see you next time! Read and Review please!<p> 


	23. Gilbert's Truck is Useful

"Holy-! Wait, is that you Romano?"

Laying on his side on a grey sidewalk, Romano regained consciousness upon hearing his name. Standing above him was none other than the epic albino known as Gilbert, who was shocked to see the feline alive. Gilbert's gigantic pickup truck had swerved into a ditch just in time to avoid killing Romano but the cat still flew sixteen feet to the sidewalk. His face had a bloody scratch on it. Romano's tail wasn't bending correctly. He meowed happily to see the annoying man.

"Mein gott! You're alive! Where the hell have you been for the past seven months?" Gilbert exclaimed as he bent down to pick up Romano.

"Meow…," Romano purred weakly. The dark world had been blurred and seemed watery like a pond rippling from a stone being dropped in.

"You poor guy! Gott, Antonio and Lovino will burst into tears when they see ya buddy!" Gilbert cooed as he held Romano in his arms. "I almost hit you. I can't believe it."

Romano was placed in the leather passenger's seat gently. Suddenly, he remembered Toma. Turning his bruised neck towards the street Romano received a glance of Toma's broken body. His entire body seemed to be limp and shattered. Gilbert's wheel had struck the dog badly. Red liquids formed a small pool around the young pup. Toma's back legs weren't correctly placed. Gilbert was much too excited about Romano's rediscovery to notice the wounded canine. Romano meowed painfully while looking in Toma's direction. Gilbert showed no signs of noticing Toma as he removed his truck from the ditch and drove to the nearest animal hospital.

As the truck sped away at speeds only light could manage, Toma felt his heart break. Also, Romano had broken his promise and left him to die on a street. The young pup thought only Sadiq would have done that. At that time something strong, sweet, and burning snapped inside the pup as he struggled to get into a sitting position. Dazed he was, but he swore revenge on Romano. If Toma didn't get a home, neither did Romano.

* * *

><p>What would you do if the person you had secretly desired your entire lifetime suddenly got down on one knee and proclaimed marriage? Would you beat them to death with a spoon then hide the body in a red carnation bush behind their house, for it <em>is <em>Spain's national flower? Lovino didn't do this. Besides, no spoon was near. Might you run out of the house screaming like a maniac? Though that would be funny Lovino stood firm in Antonio's large house. Or, like a normal person, answer them? Thankfully Lovino decided to go with this choice. Then again, if he hadn't, the police would have eventually found Antonio's body in a nearby bush or Lovino would have been branded as a weirdo.

"…An…Antonio," Lovino whispered.

"Well, Lovi? What do you say?" Antonio hopefully said, opening the small black box in his hand to reveal a lacy gold ring, a tiny tomato diamond in the center.

"I…god, what am I supposed to say? If I say no, you'll burst into tears then kill yourself. But if I say yes…you might regret it," Lovino sighed, biting his lip.

"Lovi, I won't regret anything! I need to take you for my own. I _want_ to take you!" Antonio ensured his boyfriend.

"…Dang it. Ug, fine. I guess I—," Lovino began before the phone rang from the kitchen.

"One second," Antonio said as he rushed to kitchen, infuriated at whoever decided to interrupt them during their moment. "Hello?"

"Tonio, buddy! Get down to the address I'm about to tell you as soon as you can!" Gilbert cried into the phone.

"What? But I was about to—" Antonio tried to calm Gilbert, but the albino couldn't be stopped now. Then again, when _could_ the German shut his trap?

"I don't care! This is super important! Oh yeah, and bring Lovino!...Finally! Yeah, doc...No, he's not mine, he belongs to a friend of mine. I know he got hit…It was by my pickup truck…Yep, he was alone."

"Oh my god! Did something happen to Francis? Wait, why am I bringing Lovi again?" Antonio questioned, Lovino gaining interest beside him.

"Haha, no! I wouldn't hit Franny with my truck, dude. That's Lizzie's job. Gah, forget it; just move your ass! Take the downtown roads; the damn highway is being stupid. Now I've got to move. Here's the address," Gilbert calmly gave out an address before freaking out again. "OK, buddy boy, I'll see ya there! I'll be waiting outside the building so your stupid behind doesn't get lost," Then Gilbert hung up, leaving Antonio confused.

"Uh…OK. Lovi, it seems like Gilbert desperately needs the both of us somewhere," Antonio explained as he grabbed his car keys off the counter.

"What, don't you know the address?" Lovino inquired as he followed Antonio to the car.

"No, not really. But I know a building near it…So I guess I'll just find that then go from there!"

And off they went.


	24. Reunited and Rekindled

Gilbert paced angrily around the outside of the veterinarian's office. He'd called Antonio an hour ago; how hard was this place to find? Hm…maybe he should have told him what the building was or possibly more directions instead of a simple address. You don't give a simple person simple guidelines. Doing things like this is like telling a turtle to run a one hundred meter dash in ten seconds or less. It never works. You will fail every time, every day. But, after being dubbed a failure enough times, you realize your mistake and put the turtle on a rocket. Then you can finally pat yourself on the back since no one else is going to do it. Why in the heck would they? All's you did was strap a painted turtle to a science experiment gone wrong!

But this isn't some random turtle who unfortunately met you. All of this is about Romano. This is the very same Romano laying dizzy in a pet hospital, slipping away every other second. His cage had a heated blanket beneath his broken body, a bowl of creamy goat's milk placed next to him, and a transparent front. But these luxuries meant nothing to the injured animal. He'd much rather be left on the unforgiving road than know Lovino wouldn't find him before he passed on. Romano had a plastic cone on to keep him from licking his numerous bandaged wounds, which as you may have guessed didn't help his crummy mood. All he could think of was Lovino. Lovino, Lovino, Lovino…

"What the frick is taking them so long?" Gilbert growled to himself. "The things I'm going to do to him when—no, if—he gets here."

As it turned out, Antonio had found the place. Twice. However, he didn't expect Gilbert pressuring him to visit a pet hospital. So he just shook his head, quietly cursed Gilbert, and turned around. Twice. Afterward of course, he noticed how the address was the same as the one Gilbert had shrieked on the other side of the phone. But, then again, the German had a tendency of being the opposite of sober and wasn't really right in the mind half the time. Once more, Antonio found himself driving around town again only to end up in the same place. Gilbert had been waiting on the other side of the building so he really wasn't any help.

Now Antonio was dragging Lovino, who was greatly protesting, to the front desk. Gilbert, fed up with waiting for his Spanish friend, was stomping back to the front of the hospital to call Antonio again when he spotted him.

"Look who took twenty freaking years to get here!" Gilbert exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air for effect.

"I took an hour. I got lost, OK? And you need to give better directions, Gil!" Antonio shot back, annoyed with his buddy.

"You are just like a painted turtle! You can't dash fast enough!" Gilbert cried, referencing the opening paragraph.

"What?" Antonio and Lovino questioned.

"Never mind. Look, you two are so going to think I'm awesome for this!" Gilbert said, changing the subject back to what it used to be. "Come on, Tonio!"

Following the albino down a maze of sparkling white hallways, Antonio and Lovino wondered what they were getting into. They couldn't help but be a little scared of what made Gilbert so upset. Here is the complete list of what Gilbert cares about: good bars with plenty of beer, Francis and Antonio, his darling feline Prussy, German foods, and parties. That's all. So what in an animal hospital would fit in this list? The only thing would be Prussy, but Lovino couldn't care less if the feline fell off a bridge. So what was it?

* * *

><p>"There you are! Where have you been, my little Toma?"<p>

Sadiq had found his beloved Pit Bull just outside his abode. Toma had somehow managed to drag himself underneath Sadiq's painfully large van and stayed there overnight for warmth. Thankfully, the defenseless puppy had survived the night. Now Sadiq had located him so there was no guarantee Toma was going to survive the rest of his life. The Turk picked up his pup, carried him inside, and set him gently on the couch. While washing Toma's open wounds clean, Sadiq began to coo to him.

"You know I was worried when I came home this morning and only two of my three boys were waiting for me. My poor little puppy…you won't be able to train for a few days, but after that, the intense preparation will begin! You'll have to be able to fight in only a few months so any time lost is like a kick to the legs!" Sadiq exclaimed as he stroked Toma lovingly behind the ears. "Your brothers were so upset you were gone. Dadaş howled for hours on end. Balsan ate one or two feral cats in your absence. Oh, my sweet Toma, don't you ever leave again!"

Toma sagged a bit; the goal had been to _avoid_ the dog fighting, not get even closer to it. But at least Sadiq doesn't leave me on the street to die, Toma angrily thought, I bet he'll take good care of me forever and ever. The calming light in Toma's indigo eyes changed to purple darkness. Forget Romano; Sadiq would lead him to be the strongest, biggest, and most powerful being in the land. Then Romano would be sorry. But this feeling…it burned his naturally good heart. Could this horrible feeling be permanent? Was Toma's revenge on Romano worth dipping his spotless cup of life into swirling poison?

"Oh, wait. Where's Mr. Kitty?"

* * *

><p>Romano titled slightly to the side as a young doctor injected medicine into his paw. The large needle could not frighten him; he had seen everything you could possibly see as a feline. It was obvious the gentle woman wielding the sharp object took pity on the tiny animal. Wouldn't you tear up a little if a stray cat was struck by a truck and was almost fatally damaged? It didn't help at all that the woman used to have her own cats and didn't want to be reminded of them. Stifling a pair of tears, one for each of her cats, she pressed the needle into Romano's warm body. Then she went through the rest of the procedures: checked his temperature, made sure his heated blanket wasn't too steaming, and refill his warm goat's milk. Then the amazing albino man who had saved him came into the room with two other males trailing not too far behind.<p>

"Ta-da! Guess who I hit with my car?" Gilbert presented with a gesture towards Romano's cage.

"…Is…that…Romano?" Antonio breathed, his expression shocked.

Since he heard his name uttered by such a Spanish accent, Romano looked up, right into Lovino's golden eyes. Lovino. Lovino? Lovino!

"Meow?" Romano tried in a confused greeting.

"…Gilbert, I'll kill you later for hitting him with your damn truck," Lovino simply put it, finally placing a shaking hand on Romano's head.

That touch: how warm, loving, and familiar. It was unlike anything Romano had felt in the past seven months. He moved his head along to the rhythm of Lovino's caring stroke. Opening his hazel eyes a bit during the sweet bliss, he noticed the stupid Spaniard standing shy behind Lovino. He'd brought Lovino here? Did he really, even after everything Romano had done? The cat sighed: Antonio was the only one for Lovino, and the feline would just have to except it.

"Sir, I'm going to guess that this is your cat?" The doctor asked.

"Yes. He got away from me, but that won't happen again," Lovino calmly said, his hand rubbing under Romano's chin.

"I'm glad you two are reunited. But he has extreme injuries, but he'll recover in a bit. He'll be ready to go home in a few days. I'll take extra special care of him, I swear," The doctor promised, nodding her head.

"Yeah, Kimmy Brown's one of the best vets in this side of America!" Gilbert added.


	25. Spain's Force and Balsan's Blood

Balsan and Dadaş really couldn't have cared less if Toma had been sent to Pluto thus his miniature adventure created very little interest with them. In fact, until Sadiq mentioned it tearfully, the two Pit Bulls didn't notice their younger brother's disappearance. The reason Balsan ate a few feral cats was because Sadiq went out for two days in a row and left his dogs outside. How else was the large dog supposed to get food? Besides, the two scruffy longhairs he had eaten were coughed up an hour later in a mess of kibble. Also, Dadaş howled for he had gotten a rose thorn jabbed far into his left paw. Thankfully Sadiq removed the painful spike from his pet's foot shortly after Toma was located. So when Toma ran to them expecting a warm welcome he received nothing. Until they realized a certain feline was missing.

"Eh, wait. Where's that cat you're friends with? Mr. Kitty or something like that…," Balsan questioned, glaring down at his tiny brother.

"I'm not friends with him anymore," Toma muttered. "He left me to die on a street corner, Balsan! Can you believe that? He probably just thought to himself 'Oh I'll trick him into getting me out of the house then I'll wait until something bad happens and leave him to perish!'. I hate cats! That's why I came back. Well, sort of. I kind of got hit by a truck and this white haired man came out. Next he put Romano in his car. I had to drag myself back to the house then hide under Sadiq's truck…"

"I stopped listening when you started talking. In all honesty, I don't care that you came back. I truly don't. Cats are nothing. Training to win is everything. We are not pets, we're workers: workers of Sadiq. And if we can't win then we don't get payed. Now shut your trap and get downstairs!" Dadaş growled before turning on his heel and marching to the open basement door.

Toma sighed and followed after his eldest brother. Believe it or not, Balsan felt a bit bad for the pup. It wasn't like he meant to be dragged into this dangerous game. But Sadiq was the hand that fed; the hand you couldn't bite. If you did bite, the Turk bit back with more gore and power. So, wiping away all thoughts of rebellion, Balsan raced down the stairs after his brothers to continue the intense training. But the thoughts crept back into his mind as he looked closely around the room. Blood-spattered whips hung on the walls for adding endurance. Miles of chains were used for punishment. The walls were spotted with red, the floor had a shag carpet to simulate grass, and darkness kissed every corner. Balsan lowered himself: it was time to fight against Dadaş. This was practice; nevertheless Balsan knew he would lose for Dadaş was much larger and badly wanted to win. Yet Sadiq was watching so Balsan couldn't flee. Sadiq rang the starting bell as Dadaş lunged. Balsan's neck was grabbed between the sharp teeth of Dadaş before his body was quickly flung downwards. Flesh ripped. Crimson created a lake. Toma ran from the room in horror of the torn body.

* * *

><p>Sometime after Antonio had left for the animal hospital with Lovino, Spain had climbed into the roof. Spain teetered precariously on the edge of Antonio's roof. It was a long fall down to the grassy earth below. Was the loss of Romano worth splattering on in the gravel driveway? As Spain stepped closer still to the edge he reviewed his life. Antonio had once met everything to Spain until the Spanish man moved into his boyfriend's neighborhood to be closer to him. At this time, Spain had been an even more oblivious kitten. He'd been found in a shelter by the Spaniard earlier in the year thus was very grateful and loyal to the tanned man. He had no idea he was being moved from his familiar apartment to a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs. All the cuddly brown kitten knew was that his Antonio was placing him in the passenger seat inside a red carrier. Carsickness was common with the cat, much more when he was a babe so the security of the transporter was helpful. The truck lurched and off they were. Stops ensued here and there: bathroom breaks for man and cat, snacks, and sightseeing. What? Antonio and Lovino used to live about an hour apart. Yeah, a long distance relationship finally worked out. Anyway, by the time the car stopped, Spain suspected that the truck would never stop rumbling along on the extensive road ahead. The truck drove into the driveway of a darling, medium sized house. The shutters on every window were scarlet with the actual house being a pale green. With a decent sized garage and large backyard, it was a perfect home for starting newlyweds. Spain was amazed about the inside: it was so huge—that's what he said—and full of furniture! Antonio had bought plenty of fixtures to furnish his new home. His past apartment was much too small for every knick-knack the Spanish man wanted to display or place. Naturally, once the kitten's items were set up, Antonio skipped merrily to his boyfriend's home—which was right next door. Spain let himself out through a new cat door and started to explore his new home. But then he saw him.<p>

Romano Vargas was also outside, laying sleepily in the front yard. The new kitten sparked interest; up until now Spain and Romano had not met. Around the time Romano was taken in, Spain had been with Antonio for six months. Thus Spain couldn't help but bother the other feline.

"_Hola_*!" Spain chirped, wagging his tail.

"_Che cosa*_?" Romano, who didn't speak Spanish, asked.

"_Que_*?" Spain questioned, his version of 'What?'

"Dear God, do you even speak English?" Romano hissed loudly, stalking towards the strange animal.

"Oh, yeah, I do. Hi, I'm Spain! My daddy just moved here! What's your name?"

"Wait…is your 'daddy' or whatever's name Antonio?" Romano said, turning pale.

"Yep! He moved here to be-," Spain began.

"I know that, stupid! I'm Lovino's cat, Romano. Since when did Antonio have a cat? My God, first the annoying Spaniard and now some freak bulldozer of a kitten…"

"I am _not _a sleeping bull! I'm a kitty! So are you and you're cute! Do you want to see my house?" Spain blurted.

Sighing, Romano ended up following Spain home. Together they stalked around the new house, poking pink noses in every little place. A dusty rhinestone dog's collar left behind a closet door, pink slippers and a terrycloth bathrobe lay forgotten underneath a bed in the attic, and so many other things the previous owners had ignored. Eventually, Spain got to know the other cat as they went on: he disliked large spiders, was a great jumper and never missed his target, and loved to explore. Spain couldn't help but bother him with questions.

"Roma, how long have you been with Lovino?" Spain inquired as they investigated a jade beetle on an azalea plant outside.

"First off, it's Romano. Second, I've lived with him for about a week," Romano answered with the beetle on his head. "Gah! Get it off!"

"Spain to the rescue!" Spain cried as he, without thinking, threw himself atop Romano to smash the bug. However, the smaller cat was also squashed under the heavy weight. "Roma? Where did you go?"

Spain violently shook the sweet memories from his head. But as he did so, he titled forward. Forward soon became downhill, and after downhill came speed. As we all know, speed is always stopped by a force. Spain's force was the ground.


	26. Love, Bushes, and Toma's Highway

Romano was finally, finally home. He was more than overjoyed to lay on the plush cushions of Lovino's couch, chase spring butterflies in the blooming backyard, and, most importantly, stuff his furry cheeks with flavorsome food again. Due to past events, Lovino only let Romano outside if someone was watching him. Besides, Romano had no desire to climb trees or adventure into the sweet smelling carnations Antonio had planted; he only wanted to be around his loved ones while he could. His many injuries had turned into disappearing scars and simple cuts. Though the horrors he'd endured would never quite leave him, Romano could ignore the images of bleeding dogs and laughing Turkish men long enough to enjoy his missed pleasures.

Yet, he felt as if something, or someone, was missing. Every time he pondered about this for even a moment, something took his attention away, such as a new incredibly squeaky toy or the slight 'ping' sound of his filled plate being set on the kitchen floor. But the most common distraction was a fairly pleasure one: Lovino and Antonio. After the recovery of Romano, the couple was even closer. Before all of this drama, Romano would have sliced off Antonio's toes for simply _looking _at Lovino. But now he was pleased to see Antonio wrap his arms around Lovino's waist when he cooked, Lovino kissing Antonio on the lips when the Spanish man came home from work, and often the two were relaxing on the couch, merely enjoying the sound of the other's breathing. It was the same love of two newlyweds yet this seemed to renew itself every day, getting stronger and more pampered.

Hey, wait! We're missing a cat, aren't we? Last time we left Spain, he was falling off Antonio's roof when no one was home. As we've been taught, cats land on their feet. This is only true for cats who think about saving their own lives rather than taking it. Spain had plummeted into, thankfully, one of the many red carnation bushes surrounding Antonio's house. And there, lost in a mess of leaves and bright fireflies, Spain lay still. Dead was he not but inside his soul and heart had stopped working in the way they previously had. Spain stayed on one side, only his green eyes flickering back and forth between the decision of entering his house or dying underneath this green bush. Antonio passed his body every day when he went to the driveway to drive to work or pick up Lovino for a date. Prussy and France had looked vigorously for him and had mourned directly outside the bush Spain had fallen into. He thought about informing his friends about his loss but instead watching them with cruel eyes. If they truly cared about me then they'd quit crying and keep looking, Spain angrily thought.

He thought the worst of Antonio. Every time the man passed by Spain wondered horrid things about him, from having never loved him to as ridiculous as saying Antonio picked up the wrong kitten at the shelter: he probably meant to grab the fluffy orange female next to Spain but just missed. As the days passed, Spain walked into his house at night, only to procure the food Antonio still sat out. Antonio, in his oblivious gaze, thought Spain was out and about thus he didn't worry about him. Even so he couldn't help but worry: why wasn't Spain following him around the house or 'accidently' eating random beetles from the garden? Though he was greatly concerned about his cat, Antonio was much too busy with his re-kindled romance with Lovino. The topic of marriage would also have to reappear but that could wait. All he wanted was to see his Lovi happy and with cheeks blushing with pink from laughter, love, and care. Speaking of love, it was Antonio and Lovino's anniversary thus Antonio was off in his truck to find the perfect present.

* * *

><p>Toma had a plan: to end the life of Romano, just as Balsan's life had swiftly ended. After the death of his older brother, Toma realized he had to get away, but still get revenge on Romano. He longed to see the inside of Romano's severed skull on the reddened pavement or hear the cat scream as an eighteen wheeler crushed his feeble bones like twigs. God, how he wanted to watch everyone suffer: Sadiq, Dadaş, Romano—every single bastard who was foolish enough to mess with his life! The very second Sadiq left that afternoon to bury Balsan's body, Toma tore out of the unlocked back door. Instead of playing with the furry rabbits that scattered a nearby field, Toma ripped the skin off ten babies. When the mother tried to defend her children, she passed on in a streak of red as well. Fury bubbled as Toma made his way towards the main road. Cars sped by, not one paying him a second of pure thought. Jerks, he thought, all of them. One day, Toma would have a car and run over every last one of them. Humans were disgraceful things; always rushing, never stopping to love or cherish. Toma bravely stepped in the street, only to nearly be run over—again—by an unnecessarily large, tomato red truck.<p>

"Hey, a puppy!" a voice soaked in a Spanish accent yelled as the sound of pounding feet came closer to Toma's ears.

Naturally Antonio doesn't even think the dog may have an illness or owner. He simply sees a lone pup on the road and has to take it home, much like when a young child finds any living baby animal, may it be a bumblebee or hawk. Toma was too scared to growl or bark thus Antonio started to pat the dog on the head. Having never truly been loved, Toma was shocked to find that this touch felt rather nice. Another strange thing occurred: his tail began to wag on its own. How weird, this rushing feeling wiping over his body. Yet it felt great; even better as Toma flipped onto his belly to receive even more rubbing.

"Well aren't you a sweetie~? You know, after Lovi and I got married I was looking into getting a dog, but…" Antonio started before forgetting all reasoning. "Ah, hell! You're just too cute~! You must be so lost~! Poor baby…I know! I'll take you home, feed you, and see what Lovi thinks! He doesn't live with me, but we are in the other's house a lot, plus we're going to be living together soon anyways, but I'm sure you'll be fine with me! Come on!"

Toma wondered why the man had stopped but followed him anyway, hoping to procure more tail wag inducing pats. Hopping into the truck's passenger seat, Toma sat down on the soft material. Antonio slammed the door shut and climbed in the truck himself. Driving along, Toma was surprised to find rushing wind quite refreshing. He even hung his pink tongue to taste the sweet air but it went by too fast. Sooner than noticed, the truck had stopped in front of a pale green house with a white gate all around the sides.

"Lovi~! I'm home~! Look what I got!" Antonio cried as he leapt from the unmoving car. "Puppy, you stay here, I'll come get you soon!"

Lovino had been tending to the garden in Antonio's backyard; his own garden was taken care of. Thus, out of goodness of his heart and a bit of begging from Antonio, Lovino decided to help weed, feed, and water Antonio's flourishing tomato plants, apple trees, grape vines that swirled up the house, and other plants. Romano was drifting off into a peaceful cat nap when Antonio came charging into the backyard. The other male threw his arms around Lovino with a big smile on his face, which Lovino returned.

"What are you so happy about? Francis finally agreed not to rape you in your sleep?" Lovino sarcastically asked.

"Nope~! OK, so you know how I've always wanted a dog, right? Well, I found one on the side of a road, all alone and sad. So I picked him up and now he's in my car~!" Antonio proudly exclaimed.

"…So picked up a random dog off the side of the highway?" Lovino questioned, also inquiring about his boyfriend's brain functions.

"Uh…maybe," Antonio laughed, kissing Lovino on the cheek.

While the men talked, Toma had left the car and was wondering who this other man was. Sadiq cursed every man who was with another man soon after his husband broke up with him for a tiny Japanese woman. He yipped, to make himself noticed. The second Lovino saw his pale blue eyes and white blaze, he love him. Toma was immediately drawn in by the amber curl and gentle eyes. No one told him humans could be beautiful….

"Hey, I told you to wait~! Oh well; Lovi, this is my puppy!" Antonio said with a sweep of his hand.

"Ahh~. Maybe he's kind of cute. But only a little," Lovino said, basically agreeing. "Wait, what if he's an ass around cats? Oi, Antonio, will get Romano and see how he acts?"

Wait, Romano lived here?

* * *

><p>Yep, that's where he lives, Toma-Roma~! Oh wait...I just noticed how Romano's nickname and Toma's name rhyme. Oh... I did not see that. Eh, whatever. Anyways, sorry this took so long but I've been so sick I've given a new definition to the word. It should be defined "coughy-sneezy-spewy-snottingy-allergy thingy". Yeah, I quite like that. Darn you, springtime! Anyways, next time: Spain and Toma and Roma~! Read and Review, if you may.<p> 


	27. Antonio's Puppy and Petals

From his bush, Spain could see the new black and white animal without being seen. Spain had little experience with dogs but the last one was Francis' Pomeranian, a yappy brown little bastard. The beast had chewed on only expensive furniture in the Frenchman's house, eaten cat food and cat fur—while the cat was still using it—often, and…created puddles…in the most annoying places. Spain had the displeasure of twisted dog once when the Cat Trio was adventuring in Francis' new cabinets. The small dog had raced into the kitchen chasing his own tail in stupid circles. Pom-Pom, the jerk's name, had not spoken but only yipped in unintelligible sentences. The cats, seconds later, ignored him and kept poking noses in cupboards until the idiot crashed into said new cabinets and knocked every feline on it to the ground. In response to the crash, Francis then cursed in a very foreign mouth and sent the dog to his sister Paris, who lived in Oklahoma, guaranteeing that the dog would never be seen again.

Enough about yappy little jerks of dogs; let's go back to the actual story. Romano snapped out of his sleepy daze when his name was called. He stretched in the way only a cat shaken from sleep can: rear end high in the air, head low, and front legs put out _very_ far with the claws extended. Then he wagged his entire furry body and sauntered merrily over to the white front gate. Ah, wasn't the day keen? The cheery blue birds sang every praise of the new morning, the warm sunlight reflected perfectly off Lovino's amber curl, and Antonio's caramel skin was in its prime. The very bliss of it all; it could never fall apart, could it? Romano was rather joyful thus thought his mood was never going to end. A monarch butterfly landed on a sweet carnation bush and shyly flashed its attractive wings. How could this day be ruined? Who could—was that Toma? Suddenly, though the day was warm, Romano's blood ran cold.

"Romano, look, I found a puppy and Lovi's going to let me keep him if you two can get along!" Antonio chirped at Romano's arrival. "So be nice 'cause I really want a dog since my parents never let me get one when I was little. They kept saying 'Antonio, you'd forget to feed it after five minutes and ask for a pony when it died.' But I can prove myself now~!"

"So basically if I let you keep this dog I'll have to take care of it right?" Lovino sighed, massaging his temples. "I know you'll wake up tomorrow and wonder why you have a dog sleeping next to your bed."

"You're just like _mi padre*_, Lovi. I swear I'll take care of him all by myself! You'll see~!" Antonio happily said with a nod.

While Antonio was assuring Lovino, Toma and Romano stared coldly at the other. In fact, a pair of hazel eyes in the shape of ovals glared evilly at an adjacent set of blue ones.

"_This is __**my**__house! What are you doing here?" _Romano's eyes seemed to scream silently.

"_This brown man found me so I can be here if I wanna!" _Toma retaliated.

Again, Spain was witnessing all of this. With a pair of tired eyes, Spain happened to notice Romano and almost jumped out of his hiding place in excitement. But he assumed this view of the small cream colored cat was a blissful mirage; Romano had to be dead thus he couldn't be standing glaring at the medium sized dog. Where else could Romano be, Oklahoma with Francis' dog? Maybe he was in Italy, going back to Lovino's hometown. Wait, they lived in America and Romano hated to swim so that didn't make any sense. But, Italy or not, Romano had to be deceased and Spain would not believe anything else.

"…Please~?" Antonio begged Lovino, whimpering and making his emerald eyes twenty times bigger. "Why can't I have a puppy, Lovi?"

"They don't like each other," Lovino explained with a gesture towards the tense animals, "We're not keeping him if he doesn't like Romano. Take him to the shelter or something."

"But Lovi~!" Antonio wailed.

Toma and Romano both felt a sudden ping of guilt. All the man wanted was a dog. Well, here was a dog. Heck, Antonio even went out and rescued Toma himself. But if said dog didn't like cats, the project was shut down. Also Romano couldn't let a pet he knew face the shelter; they may not get such good treatment as he had. Though Toma certainly deserved a cruel, ninety percent kill shelter—according to Romano—the dog wasn't even a dog yet; Toma was a still a puppy, a helpless baby in a very confused state. Romano wasn't about to wish punishment on him. But he wasn't going to forgive the little bastard either.

"Alright, look," Romano sighed. "Antonio really wants a dog, OK? His cat Spain disappeared all of a sudden so he's upset. If we can just make amends for now, then he'll be happy and we can fight again."

"I don't want to fight! I want to watch you bleed for everything you've done to me!" Toma barked, quite literally.

"What have I-? Aw, screw it. OK, here's the deal: you and I work together to make Antonio happy then I'll…I'll let you kill me. We'll make it look like I fell out a window or something," Romano bravely stated. "Lovino really loves Antonio and I want to see them both happy. Please, just be a good dog to them, alright?"

Thinking this over for a few moments, Toma nodded quickly. "Ok! Now, let's turn on the charm."

Romano snarled before rubbing his cheek against Toma's smooth skin. Toma licked Romano's furry face, only to get cat hair on his tongue. He spat out the ball of fur onto Romano's head, but the cuddly act had to go on. Soon, after some rather convincing snuggling and purring, Lovino and Antonio were surprised.

"See? I told you they could get along~! Can I keep him _now_? Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with tomatoes, spices, and paella on top~?" Antonio begged, on his knees.

"You're absolutely pathetic, bastard," Lovino growled. "Ug, fine. You can…ngh…have the dog."

"Yes~! I love you ten percent more now, making me love you by 170 percent!" Antonio shouted, hugging Lovino tightly.

"Ngh…get off, you clingy jerk. He stays in _your _house, and _you _have to take care of him, OK? Actually, not OK; it's either you do it or I get rid of him! Plus, if he destroys even one little leaf in my garden, I'll hang you both!" Lovino snapped, jabbing a finger into Antonio's buff chest. "Understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" Antonio said before running for his life into his house, with a cursing Lovino hot on his heels.

Once the humans had disappeared into the house, Romano and Toma returned to glaring at each other. Fire seemed to blast out of the other's eyes, making the warm day even hotter. From his bush, Spain yawned. This was boring; where was the excitement, the drama, the amazing twist where the butler did it? Oh yeah…Antonio didn't have a butler. Well, he needed one. Antonio could call him Niles the Third. As a stray petal landed on his nose, Spain sneezed quietly. The feline sniffled and couldn't stand it any longer. All of these bored days underneath this bush; it was madness. He demanded some sort of classic dog and cat fights. Meowing loudly, which still came out as a squeak, Spain attracted attention, hoping to irritate the dog by confusing him with a meow while Romano's lips weren't moving.

"'The heck? What was that?" Romano said in a shocked tone.

"I heard you use a bad word! I'm…telling no one since you and me can only understand each other," Toma wondered. "Huh."

"Was it coming from these bushes?" Romano said, peering into Spain's bush. "I think I see…Spain?"

It's a mirage, Spain thought sadly. His Romano was dead, as he'd said before. If I say anything, he'll disappear, and I'll never see him again! But, maybe…

"Hola?" Spain called, nervous when Romano couldn't answer from shock. "Oh, I knew you were a mirage, Roma! Now I've broken it!" After this, Spain went into hysterics, tearful and longing at the same time.

"You're still an idiot after all, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am, Mirage Roma~!"

"Mirage? Spain, if anyone's a mirage, it's you. I can barely even see you…come on out," Romano coaxed.

"Well…OK, if Roma says so."

And, for the first time in seven months, a pair of emerald eyes met with hazel, both oval shaped and staring. Staring, staring, staring. For, when you see a long lost lover, you tend to practically burst into either tears, because you missed them, or flames, considering they never called even _once. _But this was a happy moment: Spain rushed forward and threw himself on Romano out of happiness. Leathery tongues met with fur clad cheeks, tails wrapped themselves in another feline. Pure bliss.

"How can you see Spain from a bush? Isn't that in, like, Europe or Africa or something? Or is that a state? Romano?" Toma wondered aloud as the cats embraced. "Hello? Hello?"

* * *

><p>Next time: We check up on Sadiq and his evil plans! Warning for next chapter: someone's dyin'. Like, a lot. There will be some rather disturbing things, so I warn you now!<p> 


	28. Idiots in Half and Deals

After a bit of coaxing and explaining from Romano, Spain crawled back into his home. When Spain marched inside with Romano on his furry heels, at first there was no big excitement. Antonio was making a list on the living room loveseat of the things he'd need for his new pet. Lovino was muttering how irresponsible Antonio was and would need help at some point. Yet his spicy Italian mouth was shut when Antonio absentmindedly placed a gentle arm around his waist. Spain trooped into the house and leapt into Antonio's lap. Still, the oblivious Antonio took no notice to the sudden ten pounds on his knee.

"Lovi, if you wanted to sit in my lap…" Antonio cooed, poking Lovino's cheek, thinking Spain was Lovino for some reason. "Although you've gotten lighter, mi _novio*_."

"I'm not on your lap and I don't _want _to be on your lap!" Lovino growled before pointing to the brown cat on Antonio's leg. "It's your stupid cat! And did you just call me a fatass?"

"I said nothing of the sort. And Spain went back to Spain 'cause he hates me," Antonio whimpered. "And now no one loves Antonio 'cept Lovi!"

While Lovino muttered his response to that, Spain felt hurt. Well, he did leave, yes, but he was only two feet from the garden gate. But he couldn't expect the idiotic Spaniard to realize that. Antonio was idiotic but sensitive too. Spain, full of guilt, rubbed his forehead against Antonio's hand and purred loudly. Surprised, Antonio was again blind to Spain.

Purring himself, Antonio gave a sly look to Lovino, "And now you want to hold hands~? Oh-ho, I'm enjoying this Lovi~! But I'll give you proper recognition tonight, _mi amore*_."

"For God's sake, how stupid are you? Your. Cat. Is. On. Your. Lap, for the last time!" Lovino snapped, picking up Spain and rattling—to make a surprising sound similar to a container filled with beans—him in front of Antonio.

Green eyes shining with happiness, Antonio took Spain in his arms, "Spain~! You're alive! And you came back because you love me, right?" Antonio rubbed noses with his feline lovingly. "Daw~! Daddy missed you so much~!"

"And I'm disgusted. Come on, Romano," Lovino commented, going to the door. "Don't forget to feed and walk your dog, Antonio."

"OK, bye Lovi~! I love you!" Antonio chirped. "And what dog?"

Maybe Antonio was only slightly above the pound. Oh well. If the Pit bull wasn't alive the next day then Romano would live to see Christmas. That is, if Sadiq suddenly decided to come looking for his lost feline. Again, Romano was beyond confused why, on that faithful day at the shelter, Sadiq had looked down and chosen him. What was so special about him? It certainly wasn't his color; Romano was a pale cream color with a deeper brown spot on his head. Don't even get him started on his temperament. Romano could grasp the reason why Iggy and America had been chosen to live here with Lovino. America was naturally a joy to have around and Iggy was your go to feline for comfort. But Romano was, let's face it, a jerk with fur. He'd spit, hiss, bite at little fingers, and pounce on loved ones. So _what _was so special about him that made Sadiq choose him?

* * *

><p>Sadiq was furious. First, the cat was gone. Next Balsan perished in a <em>play fight<em>. Then, the youngest of his prized Pit Bulls suddenly disappeared. And, in finale to this horrible chain of events, he had lost a bet on Pit Bull fighting and owed more than he had. Dadaş was still alive but worker cost money, which Sadiq didn't have much left of. He was packing the items the bill collectors had yet to take. Sadiq was planning to flee his home before the police arrested him for not paying his endless bills. Running away from his home was crazed, but the Turkish man was desperate.

As he stuffed spotted boxers in a suitcase, Sadiq muttered nervously to himself. "Damn it! What am I going to do? Bill collectors here every other day, Repo men taking away the furniture, even my boys' chairs…oh god. OK, I'll get in the car then go! Dadaş! Come on, it's time to leave!"

Dadaş followed his master out the door in a hurried matter. As Sadiq started up the large truck, the dog spotted a police car coming up the road. He began to bark; his master must know what was coming. Sadiq turned and threw a stick at his noisy dog angrily. The second the British bastard next door woke up, Sadiq had a feeling he'd call the police or at least attract attention. Dadaş was cut with the sharp edge of the twig, making him whimper. Red blood began to trail down Dadaş' brown muzzle from the ragged cut down the bridge of his nose. Though he longed to snarl up at the Turk, he held back for Sadiq was the boss. The dog was a mere worker, nothing more. As he sighed, the police car stopped in front of Sadiq's driveway and two large men got out. One appeared to be a grumpy German man with slicked back blond hair whereas the other a very tall Swede. Sadiq froze as the German came up to him.

"Sir, are you Sadiq?" the German asked, looking at a notepad.

"Um…well, you see. If I _was_ Sadiq what would occur?" Sadiq stammered.

"Answer the question," the other officer grunted, taking out every vowel in his sentence.

"I could possibly be Sadiq…maybe."

"Sir, you're under arrest for fraud, illegal Pit Bull fighting, and refusing to pay your bills and taxes. Berwald, get the cuffs," the German announced, nodding at his partner.

Returning with the handcuffs, Berwald began to read off Sadiq's rights in a monotone voice, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in court…"

As the manacles were applied roughly by the bored Swede, Sadiq began to panic. Though he shouted for mercy and help, the only response he received was an angry yell from the second story window of the British young man next door. Due to the rough gloved hands on his boss, Dadaş snarled in a warning tone. The police officers appeared to ignore him.

"Oh, yeah. Ludwig, get the dog too. He'll be going to the shelter near…" Berwald started to say to his partner, who got a large cage for the animal.

"No! Leave me alone! Dadaş, sic!" Sadiq cried out of desperation.

And, as always, Dadaş did as he was told. With a leap from the gravel with powerful hind legs, Dadaş had the German's arm in his mouth. The Swede let go of Sadiq, who rushed and tried to start his car. Berwald attempted to yank the dog off his screaming partner. His only reward was Dadaş lashing backwards and gripping the Swede's leg, turning it from pink flesh to torn cuts. Now both officers were trying to get rid of the dog: Ludwig got his pistol ready to shoot. Berwald, however, made a fatal mistake. Dadaş jumped off for a few seconds. In his surprise of being released from death, Berwald tripped and fell, only to be ripped apart by the dog. Berwald screamed, but his time was up. He left behind a Finnish husband and a child adopted from a micro-nation in the middle of nowhere to leave for a place full of light, killed by a dog. In panic, Ludwig clicked his gun and pulled the trigger. Seemingly in slow motion, the grey cylinder of lead left its former home in the cold gun and rushed into the barrel chest of the towering Dadaş. As the Pit Bull fell to the floor, lifeless, Ludwig realized something. Sadiq had left the scene.

* * *

><p>"….And this big dog came and tried to kill him!" Feliciano, Lovino's younger brother, cried.<p>

As it turned out, Ludwig happened to be the boyfriend of Lovino's younger brother. Because of this title, Lovino despised him and was only being civil due to his brother's misery. Ludwig was busy trying to tell the story in the most unexaggerated way possible, but Feliciano couldn't hear him. It was beyond disturbing to hear; even Antonio, who sat with an arm around Lovino, couldn't smile. Spain was curled around Romano, who was _not_ shaking or cowering any sort of way. He was just….cold. Yeah, cold! Mid-spring weather in America is just too cold for certain cats. Romano was that certain cat. Also Gino, who Feliciano had brought along, seemed to be of the same breed. America, the feline, lay next to Toma in total silence with Iggy on the other side. In even more irony, America and Iggy loved to be around dogs and spent much time with the playful Toma. Romano wasn't in the mood for hearing about killing, considering Toma would end his feline life soon. As the story went on, it seemed that the whole room winced in unison. Finally, when came to Berwald's death, Lovino begged them to stop.

"Christ! Enough! Just summarize and end the damn thing!" Lovino begged, annoyed with the tale.

"But…" Feliciano whimpered.

"Feli, maybe we could spare the more gore filled parts. That's not going to make anyone feel better, isn't that what you meant Lovi?" Antonio butted in to Lovino's rescue.

"Sure," Lovino muttered.

"OK~! The dog killed Berwald then I met Ludwig at the hospital where he got his arm sewed up. The end~!" Feliciano said.

"Thank god," Lovino exclaimed, walking out of the room.

"I'm surprised you care," Ludwig commented.

"I was happy about the end of the damn story, bastard," Lovino called from the stairs.

"He was happy about the good ending for you, Ludwig. Lovi can be hard to understand," Antonio lied for his _novio*. _

"Sure he was. And since when did you have a dog?" Ludwig said, nodding at Toma.

"I got him a few weeks ago! And he's such a nice doggie! Come here, Romeo!" Antonio called.

Toma had learned his new name a week ago. Though he wasn't sure why he was named after the famous lover boy, Toma appreciated the new change. A new name was a fresh start, a brand new flower in an old vase. He wondered about his brother, who was now dead, but tried not to worry too much. Much to his surprise, not all humans were cruel or had evil intentions. But not all were exactly geniuses. This included Antonio. Lovino had to keep reminding Antonio to walk the dog or refill his water bowl but Toma didn't mind all that much. He was fine as long as Antonio gave him belly rubs, smooches, and more love than Sadiq had in his entire body. Toma liked to follow Antonio around the house, from the garden to the nearby grocery store. He'd wait outside if dogs weren't allow, although sometimes when he ventured after Lovino he'd hear him say female dogs had gone inside the store. Strange. Anyways, Toma loved all of this new attention but still longed to see Romano splattered across hard pavement. Thus, soon after the gore filled story was told, he and the other pets found themselves outside.

"Great, now I'll have nightmares for weeks," Iggy muttered, leaning on America beside the back porch swing.

"Don't worry, Iggy! The hero always protects the damsel in distress!" America announced with a puff of his chest.

"I refuse to be called a damsel!" Iggy growled.

"Then you can be the princess locked in the tow—OW! Iggy!" America cried, whimpering from where his rear end hurt. "You know what, I'm going to go play with someone who's nice! Romeo, want to play ball?"

"Hooray!" Toma cried, snatching the yellow tennis ball that had been left outside.

"Those two are two halves of a whole idiot," Romano commented.

"I think they're nice. Can I join?" Gino said, bouncing towards the duo chasing after the neon fuzz ball.

"OK, maybe an idiot's made of three parts. Spain, care to prove me wrong?" Iggy added.

"Sorry Iggy, I can't here you! Must chase ball~!" Spain cried, making an idiot made of four parts.

"I give up. I'm surrounded by morons!" Romano sighed before trotting to a blooming rose bush in the garden.

Romano watched all of the action from the comfort of the red flowers. The rule-less game had its moments, from Spain face planting in the dirt, America getting the ball stuck where a ball shouldn't be stuck, and Toma crashing into everyone else. Shaking his head, Romano waited until the mammals got tired and sat on the lawn. Near that time, Romano took a step out from the bush and lay down next to Spain, who was panting crazily. After everyone caught their breath, Romano noticed Toma staring at him. Soon he began to feel uneasy and crept into a corner of the porch. Toma followed him. This was getting more and more startling.

"Um, m-may I help you?" Romano stuttered.

"We made a deal and I'm holding up my end. When are you going to hold up yours?" Toma growled, his voice low.

"I-I-I….uh….well, I just want to see Antonio and Lovino—," Romano started.

"I know! You want to see 'em happy!" Toma snapped, sounded very much like his eldest brother.

"Yeah, that and…you know…together," Romano whispered.

"So get some Super Glue and they'll be together!" barked Toma.

Ignoring the pun, Romano snarled right back, "No, you idiot! I mean, after they settle down and what not."

"That's too long! …Hmm, I have an idea. And you're going to go along with it," Toma said slyly. "Here's what's going to happen: every day up until they get engaged I'll take a piece of you."

"_Che cosa*?_" Romano cried, startled so that he spoke in Lovino's native tongue.

"Not like a leg…at first. I was going for a clump of fur or the tip of an ear. It was a punishment Sadiq used to give us when my brothers lost. 'If one of you loses, we all lose' he said. He's so right, and I refuse to lose. And if you don't agree, I'll kill you in your sleep, right in front of your owners," Toma growled as Romano gasped.

* * *

><p>I <em>was <em>going to kill off Romano in _this_ chapter, but so many people didn't want me to so I didn't! Instead, I killed Berwald/Sweden. *whimper* Man, I must be pretty depressed this week: first I write a story about killing Francis then I do this. Huh. Oh well! *sings* Read and Review, as you always do! *end of song* Next time: pieces of Romano begin to fall apart and Antonio gets down on one knee...maybe.


	29. The Changing Roses

Romano could not sleep. Though he slept on Lovino and Antonio's bed in Antonio's home, Romano's body refused to get relaxed. He'd started to doze off then be awakened by his fears. He had a feeling Lovino would protect him, but dogs have many more teeth than humans. Said teeth are sharper too. But the games were still played. Thankfully not all were as bloody. One night, when Lovino was out of town for a business meeting, Antonio had Francis and Gilbert over to plot. The three men turned off every light in the house except for a random light above the table they were standing over. Antonio and Gilbert stood on either side of Francis. Francis, in a dark green military helmet, banged his fist on the table for attention.

"Ow! Damn this hard table! Ahem. Alright men, what ideas have you brought to the table?" Francis commanded, sounding like a drill sergeant.

"I have brought a twelve pack of beer, sir!" Gilbert shouted, slamming the carton on the table.

"That's very good! We'll be up all night, men!" Francis declared. "Our objective: we're going to help Antonio here figure out a way to propose to his Lovino! Now are we going to do it?"

"Yes sir!" Antonio and Gilbert chorused.

"Alright! Now…anyone got an idea?" Francis said, stopping the sergeant voice. "Hey, don't look at me like that! I came here to brainstorm, not solve the problem by myself!"

"Epic fail, Franny….hmm…OK! Here's the best idea ever: you let _him_ find the ring then you get down on one knee and boom! He says yes, end of story, I get a tux!" Gilbert called out, nodding in victory.

"…So what do I do? Follow him around until he finds it? Plus I'll leave him in a room for five seconds then he'll find it and kill me for hiding a ring. He'll think I was going out with someone else!" Antonio questioned.

"Well, uh….Francis?" Gilbert said, giving up on his plan.

Sighing and popping off the cap of a bottle of beer, Francis took a quick sig then continued, "You could do something romantic. Like…oh yeah! Put the ring in a glass of his favorite wine, pour him a glass, and then he finds it! Done! We break open a bottle of wine and Gilbert gets a tux!"

"Or he drinks it," Antonio and Gilbert droned.

"All's I'm trying to do is get you a husband and _you _a tuxedo!" Francis snapped.

As Francis snapped back at his friends, Romano was watching, amused, from an armchair. Antonio had gladly taken Romano and the rest of Lovino's pets for the week while Lovino was gone. Thankfully Toma wasn't housetrained yet and stayed out in the large laundry room or within Antonio's green-eyed sight. Thus Romano wasn't in much danger—when Antonio was awake. Siesta time was siesta time, and Antonio couldn't ignore it. Romano rubbed where the tip of his left ear used to be. Toma had ripped it off earlier, taking off a full inch of ear. This had occurred while the pets were outside. Toma had cornered Romano behind a carnation bush. Romano curled into a tight ball as Toma growled at him.

"Alright, this is day three. I've taken fur so far, and now I want skin," Toma snarled, coming closer.

"Fr-from what? My tail?" Romano stammered.

"Hm…nah. I think I'll take something I can keep taking from. Um…your ear. I'll take a piece of your ear," Toma nodded.

"…And then you're going to…?" Romano said.

"I'll just tear it off then bury it somewhere. And you do you care? You don't need it anyways! After it's gone, you'll go inside and have Antonio fix up your ear," Toma explained. "Simple!"

Yes, it was simple: Romano had his ear tip bitten off then dragged himself inside. Antonio first wailed because he had failed to keep an eye on Lovino's pets before bandaging Romano's ear with white medical bindings. He'd sat inside near Antonio as he wrote down plans for his proposal. Toma soon joined him, a dead squirrel for Antonio in his mouth, but Antonio treated him as if Toma had given him the Hope Diamond. Though the squirrel went into the trash, Toma got pats and kisses. Antonio didn't know how Romano's ear had been injured and _of course _he didn't suspect the hyperactive dog. Besides, he didn't have time to reason out things. He finally had an idea for proposing to Lovino, and it was genius.

* * *

><p>Lovino wasn't in such a great mood. First off, his business trip went for two whole <em>days <em>longer than what his boss had told him. He imagined poor Antonio waiting at the door, ready to hug the grumpy and homesick Italian who was sure to be opening that front door. But he wasn't. Lovino winced at the thought of Antonio in tears since Lovino didn't show up for a day or two. The poor guy…

When Lovino unlocked his house door and found the place without a living soul, he crumpled. His pets were still next door but he truly expected a warm, tall Spaniard ready to pounce. Ticked off, Lovino stomped to his bedroom to begin to unpack. His two suitcases were thrown on the bed and opened. I am going to kill Antonio the second I see him, thought an angry Lovino. As he ripped open his tall closet's mahogany doors, a deep red rose fell from the top shelf. With a shiny gold ribbon a note was tied to the green stem.

"What the heck…?" Lovino wondered aloud as he took it in his hands before reading the note. "_Dear Lovi. When you find this note, there will five more around the house waiting for you. This rose is in the closet to remind you how we came out of the closet and told our parents we were dating in high school. I'm glad we came out holding hands. Love, Antonio. P.S: The next card is where I kissed you for the first time in your parents' house." _

Confused but more touched than ever, Lovino thought about simply going to Antonio's home and forcing him to spill the beans about these hidden flowers but decided against it. Antonio loved to play games; Lovino didn't want to spoil his fun. Plus Lovino smiled brightly at the memory: their parents' shock, Antonio's father threatening to disown Antonio, Feliciano's congratulations, and Lovino's mother's oddly happy tears. Thankfully, over time, the families came to accept both boys into their lives. With a smirk, Lovino went to the kitchen. Surely enough, a red carnation waited patiently in the knife drawer. Blushing, Lovino remembered the trick he fell right into….

"…Add batter to oiled pan and cook for fifteen minutes, done!" Lovino, as a fifteen year old boy, had concluded from the baking directions.

"Yea~! We're done with our cooking class project, Lovi! But, just to make sure you made them correctly, I may need to sample one…or two," Antonio, sixteen, had said, only to be glared at by Lovino. "But I'm only protecting you, _mi amore*_."

Once the oven had beeped and Lovino took out the deep brown chocolate cakes, Lovino stated, "We each get one, do you understand? The rest we need for class."

"OK~! Lovino did most of the work, so he gets the first one," Antonio said sweetly.

"Hmpf!" Lovino grunted, biting into the gooey sweetness that belonged to a brownie.

Antonio had planned this; he waited until a smudge of chocolate ended up on Lovino's bottom lip. With a bend over the counter, Antonio kissed Lovino on the lips, making them both blush red. Though Lovino had exploded in embarrassment, Antonio claimed he was only getting the dessert off Lovino's face.

"The bastard I have to call my own…" Lovino grumbled as he leaned against the kitchen table to read the note. "_Hi Lovi~! There's four more~. Remember the brownies? They were tasty~! Ok, the next one is where, as Francis suggested for a clue, what happens when push comes to shove, nothing feels better than feeling the love~! Kissed by, Antonio." _

It took Lovino a minute to figure this one. Feeling the love, huh…Antonio! Lovino blushed a bright pink before storming up to the bedroom. Perverted bastard, Lovino growled to himself as he marched up the stairs. Under the pillow on Lovino's side of the bed, a pale yellow carnation smiled up at Lovino.

The note read: "_Lovi~! Tu eres mi amore*. The daisy is the national flower of…? Antonio says hi~!" _

After declaring that Antonio was an idiot, Lovino looked behind the Italian flag in the living room. Sure enough a young daisy, one that had barely burst out of its hard bud, was taped to the back of the flag. Instead of a note a picture of a young Lovino tied on the flower. The boy of about six stood next to his old manor in Italy. Even as a tiny child, Lovino had on a frown but his amber eyes were still shining bright. On the back was printed: "_If you hadn't moved to America, I think I might have been miserable forever. I'll find your heart, don't worry. You should have left it out. Three more~! Next card: Kitty bit me! Antonio Carriedo." _

Lovino checked the couch, considering they were sitting on the settee when Antonio was attacked. No rose or other flower could be found. Under the couch cushions? Nothing. Frustrated, Lovino tore apart the room, removing things from the walls, searching under furniture, and checking any other places where a flower could be hidden.

"Where the heck is it?" Lovino wondered, slumping on the couch in defeat.

* * *

><p>"Roma, is something wrong?" Spain asked, plopping down on Romano's pillow.<p>

Romano was relaxing on a soft blue pillow in Antonio's living room on a plush armchair. He'd lost, so far, an ear tip from both ears, several clumps of fur, the tip of his tail, and a nail. The pain had stopped. He'd lost so much that it didn't make any sense to cringe or whimper anymore. Toma would meet the cat before the sun showed its smiling face behind the flowering bush in Antonio's backyard. A small token would be taken with a quick rip. The removed part would be buried somewhere around the yard, whether it be behind the recycling bins or near the pink azaleas.

"Define 'wrong'," Romano muttered.

"Ah, Roma! Don't be sad. Tell me what's wrong; I'm your friend aren't I? I can help..hopefully!" Spain declared, rubbing his head on Romano's side.

"I..I…I can't tell you, Spain," Romano sighed.

"…Does that mean you don't like me?" Spain whimpered.

"Spain, don't be a dumbass," Romano scoffed, annoyed. "Look, I'm just tired; nothing else."

"But the tips of your ears are missing. One day they were here, the next gone," Spain noticed, worried. "Did you get hurt? Or did someone hurt you?"

Romano refused to answer; he only snuggled deeper into the white birds flying off onto the other side of the pillow in a never ending cycle.

"Who was it? Was it America? Wait, no…he couldn't even hurt that spider in the attic yesterday. Iggy likes you, so it wasn't him. Daddy couldn't do it; he loves you~! Maybe I did…France, Gilbert? No, neither of us would hurt Roma!" Spain shook his furry brown head. "Did Toma hurt you? Why would he, I mean, you guys play outside early in the morning, but when you come inside, you're missing something. Maybe I should tell him to play more carefully—"

"No! Don't tell anyone anything! I'm fine, he's fine! End of the story," Romano quickly blurted. "Stop worrying about me! I'm fine!"

Spain winced a bit and decided, being correct for the first time in his life, that something was drastically wrong. And it was between Romano and Toma. Marching into the lounge upstairs, where America was pouncing on pillows with Iggy observing nearby, Spain announced his presence.

"America, I need your help. Follow me," Spain simply barked.

"You'd better go," Iggy advised.

"But who's going to look after my Iggy if I'm not around?" America asked.

"America, come on. I'm not a damsel nor am I in any danger here. Go before he comes back," Iggy commanded before turning gentle, "Plus, who's going to be the hero when Spain gets in trouble?"

Puffing out his black chest, America resumed his hero position and stalked out after Spain with a quick look at his damsel. With a wink of an azure eye he was out the door. Downstairs, Spain was waiting at one of the side windows, looking out into nowhere. He looked as if he was trying to solve every problem in the world by himself. Also, he'd lost the oblivious air that usually surrounded him.

"Alright, buddy, what's wrong?" America asked, jumping up next to his friend.

"I think Romano's got a problem with Toma, or the other way around. Either way, Romano's getting hurt and I don't like it. You protect Iggy; I have to look after Romano. I know you like Toma—er, Romeo to you—but I think he's got a bad aura around him. I don't know. I just don't. Nor will I if you don't help me," Spain thoughtfully said. "Please, you have to do this for Romano. If Iggy was hurt by somebody, wouldn't _you_ do all that you could to help him? Aren't you a…hero?"

"…You're right. I'd put my own life on the line for Iggy, I love him so much. Now, what do you need me to do?" America, always a protector, asked.

"I just need you to talk to Toma, that's all. Maybe get him to loosen up on poor Roma," Spain suggested.

"The hero's on it!"

Toma was watching Antonio sleep. The tanned man was taking a nap to insure he didn't fall asleep or seem tired when Lovino came back home. Tilting his black and white head, Toma observed as his owner's buff chest went up and down. He wondered why it did that. When America trooped into the room, he barked quietly in greeting. America attempted to be friendly, but the thought of Toma ripping off pieces of Iggy—though this was about Romano—angered him greatly.

"Yo, Romeo. What's up?" America started off.

"Hi, America~! Is something wrong?" Toma asked.

"Yeah, something's wrong. Romeo, do you not like Romano?"

"…Um, we don't always get along."

"So you hurt him?"

Jumping a little from being found out, Toma started to pant since dogs couldn't sweat, "I would never—"

"No one else in this house would hurt him. You're the only suspect."

"I'd never hurt anyone! How could you accuse me of doing something like that? Who told you those lies?" Toma growled in a rage.

"Doesn't matter who told me, and I have eyes. I can see parts that are missing, and I'm not going to let you hurt Romano. And if you even _think_ about touching Iggy, you won't live long," America snapped back. "Oi, I just want to make sure nobody gets hurt, OK?"

"I never hurt anyone! Leave me alone!" Toma barked, rushing out of the room.

Spain had resumed his position next to Romano and was busy licking the smaller feline's soft fur. Though he was clean already, the rough bristles of Spain's tongue running across his fur was soothing. Until, of course, Toma stormed in.

"Tell him now! Tell I never hurt you!" Toma demanded of Romano.

"You're not the boss of him!" Spain hissed back.

"Shut up!" Toma growled, snapping his pointed teeth at the cats.

Usually Spain is a very even-tempered feline. He didn't mind being held upside-down, accidentally—even purposely—kicked or hurt in some way, or having his ears cleaned and teeth brushed. Nothing could make him angry or irritated. However, even the nicest people snap at some point. The moment Toma flashed his razor-sharp fangs at Romano, Spain twitched. Then he acted.

Toma didn't expect Spain to be the one to lash out. Romano, yes. America, definitely. Iggy, maybe. But Spain was not an option. He was laidback and cheerful, eager to please. Thus when Spain slashed Toma across the face with white claws, the Pit bull froze. Romano gasped.

"Go away," Spain hissed, claws still extended for another hit.

Whimpered, Toma fled to the upstairs bathroom. He thought Sadiq was the only one who hit people, who caused pain. Other people did that? Pets hurt others too? Wait a minute…Toma crumbled. _He _had acted as Sadiq, _he'd _taken off pieces of Romano using a punishment Sadiq had come up with. Sick with himself, Toma paced back and forth. I'm not Sadiq, I'm not Sadiq, I'm not Sadiq… His heart banged angrily against the walls of his chest. Was he evil? How did he turn out like this? If dogs could cry, large tears would be rolling their way down his smooth cheeks. He…couldn't do this anymore.

* * *

><p>Next time: where are those last flowers, dang it? Plus, Toma changes...for good or bad? (If you have a meaningful place where you think the flowers should go, put it in a review or mail me!) Read and Review! I hope you're enjoying the story, because it only has, maybe, three chapters left.<p> 


	30. Finale Part 1 of 3: Acceptance

**Finale—Part 1 of 3**

"Good afternoon, everyone~!" Antonio yawned to his pets after he'd woken up from his hour nap.

The four cats meowed happily from the couch to see the man up and about.

"Hola~!" Spain mewed.

"It's about time you got up," came as a greeting from Iggy.

"Do you guys have to be so freaking loud?" grumbled a certain irritable Italian cat.

"The hero says hello!" blurted America.

"I wonder if Lovi's home yet..heh-heh, bet he hasn't found all of the flowers. I made a few of them really hard so he'd have to think about it. Gilbert and Franny are evil geniuses. I'll give him another hour before I go over there. Hey, where's Romeo? Did you guys scare him off?" Antonio said with a tilt of his head of chocolate curls. "I wonder where he went…Romeo! Romeo!"

As Antonio went off calling his pet's name, the cats became tense again. Spain had lost the high amount of moxie he'd received during his smacking of Toma. America, as big as he was, knew how dangerous the Pit Bull could be and could resist fighting him for now. Iggy and Romano couldn't have been more anxious.

"So, uh, what now?" America asked, uncertain for the first time, "I mean, we can't just let that dog ruin everything. Yeah, someone who isn't a feline should, um, stand up to 'im!"

"You know, I've never heard my personal Superman sound so nervous before," Iggy commented.

"Hah? What, that's…I don't even..! Pfft! I never get nervous! Never!" America declared in a wobbly voice, "Iggy, my dear, since when did a feline as brave and powerful as I fear anything? In fact, I could take Romeo on myself if…uh…I..um…Well, I want to give someone else a chance to, uh, be victorious! Except Iggy; I don't need you getting hurt."

"Well how do you expect anyone un-feline to help us? Humans can't understand us, plus Antonio loves that stupid mutt for some reason and won't get rid of him. Hell, he might even get rid of…_us_," Romano sighed, "We should try to just ignore Toma and move on with our lives."

"Or he might just take the lives we're trying to move on with," Iggy grunted, "I suggest that we hear the dog out. I care about what Antonio wants, but he shouldn't play with someone dangerous."

Toma, or Romeo, was sitting in the hallway that entered into the living room. His blue eyes had melted; they went from icy to lonely. Sniffling, Toma lay down with his head between his oversized paws. _I'm a bad dog, _Toma thought to himself. Toma thought himself as a bad pet, however, people can change. But even when they change, no one is required to care. They can still be evil and twisted in others eyes. Thus, in order to make the proper change, one must undo their sins and try to move on.

"Um, hi?" Toma half-suggested half-said as he tiptoed into the lounge.

In response, America jumped onto Iggy, shielding the other pet and Spain arched his furry brown back with a hiss. Iggy complained about being crushed angrily, though he was grateful for the protection. Romano crawled behind Spain. Toma brought himself to the ground, trying to make his large form smaller. This made everyone else think he was about to pounce. Four felines hightailed it out of the room. Toma, rejected, followed after them.

"Go away!" America snarled.

"Wait! I'm not going to try anything!" Toma called, "I can change, I promise!"

Like any young child, Toma figured if he apologized everything would go back to normal. The blue birds would start singing, a rainbow would soar over the white clouds, and everyone would pal around again. Romano wouldn't be as grumpy, Iggy's rudeness might disappear, and Spain and America would frolic in a field of flowers. Yet forgiving one's awful doings is difficult.

"Pfft, yeah sure, and I'm stupid!" America mocked, although he was technically correct no one said anything.

"It isn't required that we forgive you as nor will we. Please be gone," Iggy hissed.

"But am I supposed to go?" Toma whimpered, catching everyone's attention, "W-who's going to take care of me? I'm still little! Mr. Fernandez-Carriedo is the nicest person I ever met…if I go back to Sadiq…he might..I…"

Fed up with the mentions of Sadiq, Romano snapped back, "Well Sadiq is probably a decent punishment for you! I mean, come on, ripping off my ear tips? What was next? Legs, claws, forehead?"

"How do you take a forehead? And you guys haven't given me a chance! A day, that's all I ask! In a day I can prove I can be a good dog!" Toma wailed, "If I can't, then I'll leave, alright?"

"Sure, sure. Just stay out of my way," Romano meowed before hopping onto a table in the hallway. "Stupid dogs…."

As soon as Romano dismissed himself, Toma got to work. About fifteen minutes later, Toma actually was doing a great job of being an ideal dog. He padded stupidly, yet cutely, behind Antonio with a silly grin on his face as the man tended to something in the garden. With a squirrel for each cat in his slobbery mouth, Toma sat on the wooden floor in the lounge waiting to be noticed. Romano came very near to gagging when his squirrel twitched then raced away out of a window. This guy's good, Romano thought to himself. And he hated it. Thankfully, Antonio picked up Romano and placed him outside, begging him not to move. Toma trooped out right after him, plopping down next to Romano.

"Go away, I'm busy," Romano growled as Antonio fastened a collar around his neck.

"But I wanna keep you company. That's what a good doggie would do!" Toma nodded.

"But you're not, so go away!" Romano hissed before Antonio gave him a light tap on the pink nose.

"Hey, Romano, be nice. All Romeo wants to do is stay with his friend, isn't that right?" Antonio said, rubbing Toma's head, "Now, Romano, stay right here until Lovino gets here, OK? If you don't, something I spent a lot of time, money, and love for will be lost forever. And you look dapper in that collar~!"

Inside Antonio went. So Toma sat a few inches behind Romano, watching a blue butterfly swing from left to right or turn in lazy circles. Romano didn't know why he was told to sit here, unmoving, or why a spade was placed next to him but he had a hunch something great was about to happen.

* * *

><p>"Aha! There you are, you little bastard!" Lovino cried, having located a pretty young rose in his attic.<p>

Antonio hadn't been very clear with his clue:_ I'll find your heart, don't worry. You should have left it out. Three more~! Next card: Kitty bit me! _This was the point. 'You should have left it out' referred to a heart shaped pillow in a wooden chest in Lovino's attic. The two had been in high school when Lovino received the cheesy Valentine's Day gift along with a heart-shaped box of gourmet chocolates. The Italian had raged about it for a few hours, complaining that Antonio put no thought into his gift and was incurably stupid, until Antonio decided he'd better elaborate. He had clamped a large hand over Lovino's spicy mouth before speaking.

"Lovi, stop. I have my reasons for making it. One: you're _mi amore*_ so you have my heart. Two: I wanted to make something homemade so no one else in the whole world could have it except you. That's how special you are to me. And three: if I could manage to put how I feel about you in a few words I'd say these: sweet, soft, and tomato. Thus I made the pillow exactly the same. I thought you'd like it, but I guess I was wrong," Antonio had explained, suddenly rather depressed, "Antonio's sorry to Lovi."

After this, Lovino had felt like a jerk to the poor Spaniard. A soft pair of lips found their way onto Antonio's tanned cheek, placed a sweet kiss, and mumbled an apology. Lovino had never put the pillow out in the open because he feared it would get destroyed. Also, he was slightly embarrassed of anyone seeing it. Because of this, the red pillow had resigned to a large wooden chest in the back of Lovino's immense attic. Under other memories that Lovino preferred to have to himself, Antonio had somehow found the pillow and placed a flower on it. Lovino had to admit Antonio was getting clever; he'd completely fallen for 'Kitty bit me!'. Antonio had been bitten in the living room and that's where the pillow was intended to go.

"Ok, Antonio's getting smart. Damn, I never thought I'd use 'Antonio' and 'smart' in the same sentence. Well, maybe if the words were 'not smart' or 'dumb' were in said sentence," Lovino muttered as he opened the note, "_Had to think, didn't you~? Haha, anyways, I couldn't think of a clue so I'll just tell you where it's __**not**__. I suggest you look in the bathtub on the first floor. Also, put that pillow out; it means a lot to the both of us. Two more! Two more! The fixer of worlds and sinks, Antonio." _

Antonio lies, Lovino thought to himself as he sat on the arm of a plush armchair for a quick break. The Spanish man never fixed sinks; he banged at the bathroom sink _once_ with a wrench before bursting into tears about 'not being a man'. A few twists later Lovino had a fixed sink although Antonio claimed to have secured the problem. But Lovino had many a fond memory of Antonio trying to 'fix' something only to mess it up further. The suntanned god had a way with a sewing needle and anything in an oven or on a stove but mechanics weren't his thing. At all. Lovino supposed the flower second to last flower was near a sink. He decided to look under the bathroom sinks upstairs, considering the second floor was the opposite of the first floor.

As sure as Romano could be a pain in the ass, a sweet smelling daisy was wrapped around the silver pipe of Lovino's bedroom's bathroom sink. It had a picture of all of their pets in the center instead of yellow circle. Romano, whose face was circled in red marker, was sitting on a large crimson pillow beside Spain, their long tails intertwined. Caught in mid-meow America bounced up and down happily on another pillow. Iggy had a scolding look in his emerald eyes but somehow tender all the same. Toma had been seated in the middle of the picture on the floor, a rawhide heart in his mouth. Lovino actually laughed at the picture; Antonio always knew how to tickle his Lovi in just the right way.

On the flipside of the happy moment captured on a white sheet, Lovino read the note, "_I can _to_ fix sinks, Lovi! I can feel you doubting me from my house! But I assure you, though I…may find trouble amongst mechanics, any problem or any doubt that comes between us I will fix. I refuse to fail at this. The last note is where not only love grows, but shiny red jewels and glittering diamonds on a golden leaf. Please, find it. I'm watching, waiting. Once you find it, look at the beginning and you'll sparkle. Love, love, love, Antonio." _

Lovino smiled and kissed the note. His heart was pounding wildly as he left his home. Antonio's truck was in the gravel driveway, although Antonio didn't necessarily take his truck everywhere. Lovino, finding the door truthfully unlocked, entered Antonio's home and shyly looked around. No animals were found around, which was strange considering at least five beasts were supposed to be roaming the place. Giving up on Antonio's common sense, Lovino studied the card again. Not in the house…'_Not only love grows.."… _the garden! Again, where? Antonio's garden was so blooming and lush it would be hard to search without damaging a plant. Well, maybe Antonio wouldn't mind; it would be Lovi who did it. Lovino shook this out of his mind.

A meow claimed Lovino's attention. Romano was sitting beside a tomato plant, the very first one that was ever planted at Antonio's house. The feline had on a pleased smirk, if cat's could smirk, and sported a gold collar with a suspiciously tomato shaped tag. Toma stared happily at Lovino, his wagging tail reaching speeds only a motorboat coat. Usually Romano ran to Lovino when he came home, but he stayed put and kept meowing. Lovino carefully stepped over several thriving plants to his cream-colored cat. The moment Lovino was in front of Romano, Romano threw himself onto his owner's feet, purring and kneading his legs.

"What's with the collar? …Jesus, did Antonio try to dress you up? Oi. Well, maybe he put you here," Lovino mumbled before realization popped up, "This has something to do with this stupid scavenger hunt, right? Ugh…wait…beginning…spade…wasn't this the first plant…oh!"

Smiling a little Lovino stroked the velvet–like leaves. He clearly remembered planting this with a certain Spaniard on a spring day. It was warm in April, the rains having stopped for a while. Antonio was very set on making a garden and his first plant was to be a darling little tomato plant. After asking Lovino for help, Antonio and Lovino put a tiny seed in the ground. Over time, into the summer, romance and the tiny plant grew stronger. It reached for the sapphire sky with short leaves. Soon other plants were planted around it. Some blocked the sun for a while from the little plant but they wilted, were cut to size, or moved away. Yet the tomato plant kept going, and going, and going…until it was as tall as the fence it used to be blocked by. It left short stubs of leaves behind; they were large and stunning now. Sure, it was almost cut down or trampled by others but it stayed strong.

"Ok, I get the spade part. But where the heck am I supposed dig…?" Lovino wondered aloud, running a hand through his amber hair, "Oi…"

Romano meowed again.

"Romano, hold on, I'm trying to think."

The feline meowed once more.

"Ug, I wish Antonio didn't place you so close—wait. Duh," Lovino sighed, slapping his forehead, "Ok, I get it."

Using the green spade, Lovino made a small hole next to Romano. The rich dirt was loose from being dug up earlier, giving Lovino a push in the right direction. Amongst the deep brown, a sparkle suddenly twinkled in Lovino's amber eyes. A rose, made of clear glass, peered out of the ground, looking lonely. It stared questionably up at Lovino. Pick me up, the glass seemed to beg. A shiny ribbon tied the note to the flower. Hands trembling, Lovino opened the card.

Carefully slipping the gold and red string, which felt a little different than the others, from around the glass rose with trembling hands, Lovino read quietly to himself,_ "You found the final flower, Lovi. Excellent job, sweetheart. You are my heart, soul, and beautiful little to__**ma**__to! I begin to wonde__**r**__ why I went to all of this t__**r**__ouble just to explain how I felt. But I think I know: I wanted __**y**__ou to not just know, but feel. If I had told you all of this, you wouldn't have listened to __**me**__. So I had you experience our time together, from our first kiss to cushiony mistakes to sweet snuggles. And to our last disgrace from my father. In fact, I just called him, Lovi. He wishes us the best of luck and said that we were made for each other. I love you, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." _

Though he would usually deny it, Lovino was extremely touched from this short adventure. But part of him was confused. First, what the heck was the point of all of this? Antonio wouldn't waste this much time just to take Lovino down memory lane. Second, part of Antonio's note was untrue. '_Shiny red jewels and glittering diamonds on a golden leaf' _hadn't occurred. Plus this string looked funny. It was reflective and seemed to be shaped like two leaves with a tomato in the center. Wait…

"Glad you finally got here, Lovi," came a heavily accented voice from behind.

"You…what's with this….and…" Lovino started to demand of Antonio.

"Hm-hm! Lovi, care to look at the note? What do the bolded words spell?" Antonio slyly said.

"What bolded-? Oh. Give me a second-," Lovino stopped mid-sentence.

After noticing the letters, Lovino couldn't breathe. The 'string' was also guilty. Taking another look at the 'string', it wasn't such. It was a gold ring, shaped like two leaves coming together with a garnet tomato in the center and two diamonds in either side of the fruit. Lovino, for the first time in a long while, was too stiff to even think about saying anything. Looking back at Antonio, the Spaniard had lowered himself to the ground on a single knee.

"I…you…this.." Lovino squeaked.

"Well, Lovi, what do you say? Will you give me the honor of marrying you?" Antonio said, having practiced this moment for years.

Shaken from his silence, Lovino finally answered, "Of course."

* * *

><p>Romano and Toma had removed themselves from the garden once Antonio had come outside. They figured the humans could take it from there. However, once inside, Toma tried to snuggle on the couch with Romano only to be cursed at. While Iggy flattened his folded ears even more and America watched from a distance, Spain, who was confused, called for a cease fire.<p>

"Wait, wait, wait! What the heck is wrong with you two? Why do you hate Roma so much, Toma?" Spain asked.

"He left me on the street! I was all alone and had to go back home to get abused!" Toma cried as he turned back to Romano, "_That's _why I hate you!"

A chorus of gasps, 'huh?', and stares followed soon after. Yet this didn't stop Romano's fury.

"Wait a freaking second, you're mad because of _that?_ Toma, I had no control over what happened! Was I driving the truck? No! Did I ask Gilbert to pick me up and drive off? Well, let's see…no! I couldn't have told Gilbert 'Hey! Don't forget the dog, you albino idiot!'!" Romano spat, furious and shaky.

Toma was silent for a minute. Recapping it all, he did notice Romano trying to look in his direction yet the red-eyed man couldn't see Toma in the dark street. With an injured neck Romano wasn't able to fully direct his attention to the medium sized dog. Gilbert was so incredibly wrapped in finding one of his best friend's technical pets he ignored Romano's stares and all of the crimson blood that didn't belong to Romano.

"Well…um..uh," Toma stammered, "It could have…um…"

"Yeah. So you've got no reason to be angry, problem solved, I win! Now leave me alone, ya little bastard!" Romano cheered.

"Romano, I find that you have some ridiculous anger too. Care to tell why?" Iggy questioned.

"Whose side are you on?" Romano growled under his breath before speaking up, "Well, he invaded my house and ripped my ears and such for no reason!"

"As far as I know, this is Antonio's home and Lovino's, it is theirs', not ours. Though I can understand the feelings, like when Ivan invaded America and I's lives, we cannot control who comes in the building. Thus you give no reason. Also, so we can all go on with our short lives, we're going to attempt to move on," Iggy wisely lectured, shutting everyone down.

"…Damn it. Fine! Whatever!" Romano snapped.

"I can try, I will! I'll always be a good doggie from now on!" Toma nodded, "No buts about it! Forget being good for a day; I'll be good forever!"

"There is such a thing as a regular dog, you know. 'A good dog' depends on your terms of the subject. For example, Romano doesn't like being touched thus you practically sitting on him doesn't make him happy. On the other paw, Antonio likes a pet that follows his around so you fit him. That's who owns you and that's who you are supposed to please. Plus, you're Antonio's dog, so you'll be over here more often. We've got nothing to worry about," Iggy nodded, agreeing with himself.

"Yep! We could be the bestest friends on this side of America! Heck, maybe even on the other side! Now, if you'll excuse me, Romeo and I are gonna go pounce on certain items in the attic. Come on, big buddy!" America cried, automatically accepting the dog.

* * *

><p>Ok, this story is down to the finale, the last two chapters coming up soon. By the way, the next story is going to be fantasyromance. As a hint, Lovino is a Supernatural student, Alvarez is Magic, Arthur is Science, and Ivan is Specialty. Pairings: USUK, RussiaxChina, Spanamo, and others. Heh-heh...anyway, next time: **we finish off with Sadiq and learn to accept**. Plus we finally answer the long awaited question: **why does he care?**


	31. Finale part 2 of 3: Answered Questions

**Finale Part 2 of 3**  
>About three weeks after Antonio's complicated proposal, Romano had settled down about the subject of Toma. Toma had proven himself worthy of staying with his new set of family, possibly his first. Being friendly, playful, and eager to please, Toma was a perfect fit in the puzzle. The cats had figured out how to accept the mutt into their lifestyle. America had a huge, new playmate to wrestle and chase with. Iggy finally had something to constantly keep America busy and out of his mostly white fur. Spain couldn't have cared more about a new house member. Making new friends was a joy to him. Romano on the other hand still hissed at the slobbery dog and swatted at his face when no one was looking.<p>

"Romano~! Wanna play?" Toma asked Romano one day as he was taking a break from playtime.

"Do I _look_ like I want to play?" Romano growled from inside Lovino's bedside table drawer.

"I can't really see you…" Toma stated.

"Well what do I sound like?" came a low hiss from the drawer with a slight echo.

"Like you don't want to play. But come on, it'll be fun~! You can get the ball first!" Toma said, waggling around the bouncy red ball in his drooling mouth.

"Why would I play with it after it's been in your gross mouth?" Romano pointed out.

"Romeo, buddy, Romano just doesn't want to have any fun. Let's leave him be," America said from behind, "We've got an enemy to destroy!"

Both dog and cat ran downstairs, ready to conquer their toy. Romano snuggled down deeper into the cloth in the drawer, wanting to ignore the world for the time being and relax before everything changed again. Plans were being made for the near future, everything from a new house, the wedding plans, and so on and so forth.

But things were changing, and nothing could be done about it. Soon Antonio and Lovino would move into a bigger house in another area, finally a married couple. Toma and Romano would be forced under the same roof. Every one of the pets would live as one. Then again, it was partially good that nothing could be done. Iggy and America finally found their forever home with these two men. Spain could snuggle with his Romano, never having to worry about the other cat disappearing for months on end. Plus, Romano had held up his half of the original deal with Toma: he had found a kind owner. All was solved. But why did Romano still feel like he was missing something? It burned in the back of his mind. Something from months ago….a test of love….what was...?

Romano mentally slapped himself. All of this layered thinking was hurting. Plus, Lovino complained about him sleeping too much. Maybe it was time for playtime. But Lovino was fast asleep on the bed, curled up in the luxurious tomato comforter. Toma and America were available…

"Ugh, I guess it couldn't hurt if I played with Toma and America. Even if it was just for a minute or two," Romano thought aloud, "Besides, later on I'm going to have to live with him. Might as well learn to accept him."

Jumping out of the wooden drawer, Romano took a look at the well-known room. The tomato bedspread on the comfy bed that had been imported from Spain was lovingly used every night and siesta. The bed itself was sweet-smelling and plush, easy to sleep on. Romano loved the red loveseat on the left of the bed. He remembered many a time when Antonio and Lovino cuddled on it. In fact, Romano started to glow pink from noticing how many times he and Spain were on it together. The mahogany dresser that stood proudly against the wall held first notes, fresh clothes, and was a perfect hiding place during a fierce storm. With a sigh, Romano left the room.

"Hey, guys!" Romano called as he rushed down the stairs.

"Yeah?" Toma asked, America pausing as well.

"Can…um…I play too? I'd like to chase the ball with you, if that's OK…" Romano shyly mumbled.

America smiled brightly, "Of course, buddy! Come on!"

"Yeah~! Romano wants to play!" Toma cried as the trio raced outside.

As it turned out, as Toma finally got some playtime with Romano, a certain ill driven truck containing a Turkish man ran out of gas. Slamming an angry fist into the dashboard, Sadiq sighed in defeat. The cops would be able to find him now. With no gas, he couldn't speed away or blend in with traffic. He'd been driving away for the past two days and was winding down into his last dollars. Also his final amount of patience had vanished. His beaten up truck had passed away in a nice looking neighborhood. It seemed to be an active day, one were everyone can't resist nature's calls. A blond man with glasses was playing catch with his brother on their lawn. Well, if catch included one of the catchers getting hit every time in the most painful places possible by his laughing brother. A brown-haired Lithuanian tended to a pink cage of canaries with a Pole wearing a powder blue miniskirt. A Spaniard watered a forest of lush plants in his front yard while humming a song in Spanish.

"Hey, Al, who's getting out of that van over there?" Matthew, who was holding his bruised forehead, asked when the two decided to take a quick break.

Tossing the ball in the air, Alfred laughed, "Oh you must be crazy if you think that's going to stop me, Mattie! Fire in the hole!" he yelled before the baseball made contact with Matthew's capital region.

Sadiq decided to ignore the pained scream that soon followed. He had to concentrate on what he was going to do. This neighborhood was too curious; an albino was staring from his front porch. Somebody was going to call the cops soon if he didn't get a move on. What to do.

The fence of a pale green house's gate burst open. Suddenly a black and white Pit Bull puppy charged after a bouncy red ball, a petite brown cat at his heels. Seconds after a bicolor feline the size of a small dog raced out, seemingly laughing in meows. The dog captured the ball in his jaws quickly after it lost control. For half a second, the mutt and Sadiq met eyes. Then Sadiq remembered who this tiny terror was.

"Toma, you have returned!" Sadiq cried, getting out of the car, "And you found Mr. Kitty, too!"

The small brown cat hissed and made a run for the fence's gate. Toma froze with the ball in his mouth next to the black and white feline. It seemed like ages—though it was only a few moments—before the handsome Spanish man came from his garden and whistled.

"Romeo, America, come on! Get out of the street!" he called.

Toma turned at the man's heavily accented voice and ran to him. America trooped right after. Furious about being turned away from, Sadiq got out of his car and stomped up to the other man. The tanned man, who was near Sadiq's impossible height, smiled at this stranger and took him in stride like he did everything else. Sadiq glared at the grinning fool; why the heck was he smiling so much?

"Hola!" Antonio chirped as his pets cowered behind him.

"You stole my dog, bastard," Sadiq growled, already throwing rude words.

These words, of course, didn't affect our favorite Spaniard in any way. Antonio laughed before shaking his head, "What are you talking about? I found Romeo on the side of the street! All alone…"

"That's because he escaped from my house!" Sadiq snapped.

"Tonio~! Honhon, what is going on? Who is this?" Francis, who was coming with Gilbert to see who the heck was invading the neighborhood, asked from behind.

"Doesn't matter who I am! I'm looking for my dog and he's got him!' Sadiq barked at the blonde.

"Eh! Prove it. This dog's been here for weeks anyways. If you wanted him so bad, why didn't you come out here earlier and yell at random people?" Gilbert sassed, "Hell, if I lost my cat, I'd be running all over the place screamin' at innocent people too!"

"Gilbert! Enough; let me handle this," Francis soothed, rubbing Gilbert's shoulder, "Alright, I agree to the proving part though. How can we be sure you're not just mistaken?"

"That or crazy," Gilbert said under his breath.

Sadiq glared at the albino before pointing at Toma, "Look, I'll call him and he'll answer. Plus, this mutt loves me! He'll be all over me before you know it."

Toma whimpered and looked up into Antonio's emerald eyes. _Don't let him touch me_, Toma pleaded. _I won't let him take me_, Toma begged. For once, Antonio seemed to understand but couldn't do anything. Sadiq was determined to recapture his worker while Antonio longed to keep his pet. Who would win? Sadiq started by calling Toma's actual name: Toma. Toma sat there and stared blankly into space. Gilbert and Antonio nearly burst into laughter but a look from Francis made the giggles into coughs.

"Well, you changed his name so he probably forgot his old one!" Sadiq insisted.

"I'm unconvinced he's your dog. Move along before I get the Italian," Francis said, crossing his arms.

"Shut up! Just let me—" Sadiq started to flare before the front door of the next house banged open.

"Why the hell are you idiots being so loud? Freakin' woke me up, ya bunch of bastards," Lovino snapped before glaring up at Sadiq, "Who are you?"

"It apparently doesn't matter what his name is, according to him," Francis said.

"Sorry we woke you, Lovi. This man thinks Romeo is his dog!" Antonio cooed, putting an arm around Lovino's shoulders.

"Clingy… Well, get him out of here. Because, according to _you_, you _found_ this dog, right, Antonio?" Lovino growled, just as fiercely as Sadiq did.

"I did, I swear!" Antonio nodded.

Gilbert started to end the interruption to the early morning peace, "Dude, just go home. Either that or we call the police."

"Why would you tell someone you are calling the police?" Francis said after face-palming.

While Gilbert explained his reasoning, Toma decided to act the part. The part he was assigned to was 'Loyal Dog' and by god, he was going to make himself a career! Toma strutted in a rather dog-like way up to Sadiq. With a loving look on his face, Toma peered up at his abuser. Sadiq, pleased, bent to pet his dog for the first time. All seemed calm before Toma went into a deep snarl. Sadiq was shocked; this Spanish jerk had messed up his worker! Antonio smiled and patted Toma on the wrinkly head. Lovino smirked.

"Well, now that's this retarded argument is over, I'm going back to my siesta and if I get woken up again, I'm neutering all of you," Lovino warned before he went back into his home.

"You know, I wouldn't mind getting' neutered by him…" Francis breathed.

"Hey, Lovi's _mio*_!" Antonio playfully punched Francis on the arm.

"Getting neutered…wait, isn't that when your balls get..? Oh, mein gott! Franny, you creeper! …I'm so proud!" Gilbert laughed previous to turning to Sadiq, "Now you get out of here or else!"

"Or else what, albino?" Sadiq challenged.

"Oh crap…" Francis muttered.

"What did you just call me?" Gilbert quietly asked.

"Don't repeat," Antonio pleaded to himself.

"Albino. And I'm taking my dog whether he wants to go with me or not," Sadiq barked.

With one swift movement, Sadiq had picked up Toma and was running for his van.

"Oh hell no!" Gilbert snapped, "No one calls me albino! At least it'd better be the awesome albino, damn it!"

Toma, realizing he was being carried, began to flail and crashed to the ground. He scuttled back to Antonio's side. As a whimpering heap, Toma wiggled behind the Spaniard as Sadiq came storming back. Perfect. Seconds later, a battle of words between Gilbert and Antonio, our heroes, and Sadiq, the true enemy, exploded. Toma stood in the middle. This, however, was a clever distraction. Francis had gone and called the police while everyone's backs were turned. A wail familiar to Sadiq came from down the street.

"You called the cops?" Sadiq yelled in surprise.

"No, Franny did~!" Antonio said cheerfully.

"You-! Crap, I gotta get out of here!" Sadiq declared.

Thankfully, it was much too late for a getaway. Ludwig, who was in the first police car, recognized the Turk immediately and sat in his car for a second, shocked. _Holy crap, that's the guy whose dog killed Berwald_, Ludwig thought as he froze. Shaking off all fear, he replaced it with pure fury. It was time to avenge his partner by lastly putting Sadiq behind bars. Several other police officers surrounded Sadiq and he was told to put his hands in the air. Lovino marched out of the house, ready to burn Antonio and his friends alive when he noticed the police cars.

"The hell…?" Lovino muttered, watching two officers handcuff Sadiq and read him his rights, "Ludwig, what is going on?"

"Turns out this guy, Sadiq, is wanted for manslaughter and negligence, resisting arrest, fraud, refusing to pay his bills and taxes, illegal Pit Bull fighting, and disturbing the peace of this neighborhood," Ludwig listed, reading off all of Sadiq's charges, "We've been looking for him, actually. Police officers have been giving chase to him since a few weeks ago. Thought he'd never turn up."

"He killed someone?" Antonio croaked.

"No, I mean his dog killed my partner; that's manslaughter because it was his dog and he failed to restrain the animal. Thankfully the mutt was quickly put down via bullet, nothing too painful."

Below, Toma was ripped from whimpering. Dadaş was dead too? Toma feared what could have happened to _him_ if he had never met Romano. He wouldn't have even considered escaping without hearing Romano's stories of a better tomorrow. He spied Romano hiding out by Lovino's legs. This tiny animal, cranky and furry, had saved his life without even knowing it.

The four stood in shocked silence before Gilbert cried out, "Yes! I am a freakin' off-duty cop! Gimme my badge!"

"Gilbert, you have to be on duty in the first place to be off duty," Francis lectured.

"No you don't! Tell him, West!" Gilbert demanded of his younger brother Ludwig.

"Gilbert, he's right. As usual with you two. Thanks for finding him for us. We'll leave you to your day," Ludwig said and with a tip of his blue hat, the police officers went off into town.

Lovino shook his head before storming back inside. Gilbert muttered about the crappy legal system of his nation as Francis led him home. Antonio just smiled perkily. He solved the problem and now he had a few more plants to water. Going back to the garden he so tenderly handled, Antonio realized he'd have to leave most of it behind when he and Lovino moved. Though it wouldn't be for a while, the wedding itself was in six months, his precious little paradise would be replaced by a bigger one. He had loved every single one of these plants from tiny seeds to the pretty plants they were now. He'd take along the tomato plant; Lovino would personally rip off his manhood if it was left behind. It had some sort of symbolism for them.

"I'm sorry, my plants, but I'm going to have to leave some of you behind. I love all of you, don't get me wrong, but I can only take the really special plants. Some of you are too new—the new owners of the house will take care of you. But a few of you just aren't plants, you're milestones in my life," Antonio soothed to his plants before pointing out the pair of carnation bushes near the front steps, "I can't take along those; I can always buy more. I will be taking the tomato plant near the fence though…Lovi and I planted it. It was the first here. Maybe I'll take a few more. Lovi and I'll figure it out soon."

* * *

><p>Later that night, as Lovino and Antonio were sleeping like babies in Antonio's bed, Romano slept in his drawer next to Spain. Lovino had noticed him sleeping in there and had put more cloth lining in it. Spain, after finding Romano kneading the bedding, hopped right in. A rather crushed Romano hissed but welcomed the other cat into his private bed. Now they were sleeping with their tails intertwined. Looking over the top of the drawer, Romano witnessed Antonio roll over to face Lovino and tap him.<p>

"What? I'm trying to sleep, bastard, considering I missed my siesta today," Lovino grumbled sleepily.

Kissing Lovino on the blushing cheek, Antonio answered, "Lovi, what plants are we taking along with us when we move?"

"Can't this wait until morning?" Lovino muttered.

"But Lovi…" Antonio whimpered.

"Ugh, fine…." Lovino thought before answering, "The tomato plant near the fence is the only one I really care about keeping, plus the daisies that were imported from Italy years ago. Hm, I remember planting those. I was pissed because of how long they took to grow but there they are, finally all grown up…." Lovino chuckled, "Damn, I sounded old when I said that. Not even in my thirties yet and I sound like this."

"You don't sound old; you sound like you're remembering a fond memory," Antonio whispered, nuzzling Lovino's neck, "It's really cute."

"Quit calling me cute. I should be better than cute by now," Lovino complained.

"You are, but I just thought I wouldn't have to tell you. Like I shouldn't have to tell you are handsome, special, and sweet you are," Antonio said, wrapping his arms around Lovino's slender waist.

"Shut up," Lovino said but snuggled into his fiancé's muscular chest, "Why do you bother with me so much anyways, jackass?"

"Because, Lovi, no one could love you more than I could," Antonio whispered in Lovino's ear before closing his eyes.

As the tanned man and his significant other cuddled together for a peaceful night, Romano recalled what his original test was. He was checking to see if Antonio even cared for Lovino, and why. Well, after seven months, he didn't need to guess anymore. But he wasn't sure with Spain.

"Hey Spain?" Romano asked, nudging a drowsy Spain.

"Huh? What, Roma? Did you have a bad dream?" Spain asked.

"No. I just wanted to know something," Romano meowed, "Why the heck do you bother with me?"

Opening his green eyes, Spain honestly answered, "Because no one can care about you more, Roma."

* * *

><p>Aw~! This was fun writing, people. One more chapter: the wedding and several years later! Hm-hm! Send in those reviews. Plus, I might do another Nekotalia (Toma's original story) or a fantasyromance. Plus I finally got rid of Sadiq! MUAHAHA! I hated that jerk. Oh well. Stay tuned for the final finale!


	32. Finale Part 3 of 3: Why He Cares

**Finale Part 3 of 3— Why He Cares**

Lovino straightened his black bow tie one last time. Running a hand down his white tuxedo, Lovino gulped. Today was finally here. It was a warm November afternoon, the crisp autumn leaves casting color all over the outside of the church. In the mirror, a handsome Italian in his early twenties in a white tuxedo with a red carnation flower on it looked worriedly at the world. With amber hair and a sweet look in his eyes, Lovino was ready to be wed. Lovino was taking a final look at himself before there was a shy knock at the door. Upon opening it, Lovino's mother's tearstained face smiled up at her son.

"_Mamma*, _why are you crying?" Lovino soothed, taking his mother in his arms.

The short woman sniffled before answering tearfully, "Oh, sweetheart, I'm just happy. I know Antonio's going to treat you well. He's a very good man and you two are perfect for each other."

"Thanks, Mom. Look, everything's about to start. Go to your seat," Lovino said before pouting, "Don't tell Antonio what I'm wearing; he's not supposed to see me yet, let alone know at all."

His mother laughed merrily and patted her son's shoulder. A few short minutes after she left, Lovino's grandfather, Romulus, came in. It was time to walk down the aisle. Of course the old man was blubbering like mad but he was smiling while he did so. The piano, played elegantly by Lovino's friend Roderich, started to sing out its pretty notes. Hooking arms with his grandfather, Lovino began his wedding.

Antonio was waiting at the front of the church in a handsome black tuxedo. The carnation on the Spaniard's tux smiled at everyone who saw it. Gilbert, finally a best man, the other being Francis, was in a dark suit as well. There had been a large fight over who got to be what during planning thus the wedding had two best men. First it was the procession of all the bridesmaid and groomsmen followed by Antonio's twin cousins Melana and Malene in matching ruby dresses tossing rose petals everywhere. Since just about every child or young adult on both sides of the family wanted to walk down the aisle in Antonio and Lovino's wedding it took a few minutes for everyone to swarm in.

Lovino was extremely nervous when the large white church doors opened again for him. Everyone in the church stood and smiled. But the grinning Spaniard at the front of the room stopped him from turning around, running home, and waiting even longer to be wed. The tanned man looked with caring eyes at his groom, making the Italian blush madly. As he made his way down the red carpeted aisle, Lovino reminded himself that he agreed to this. Also it wasn't a death sentence; it was his wedding day. He was being given by the lord above to this Spaniard who treasured every moment they had together.

"Lovi, you look fantastic," Antonio breathed when Lovino was standing next to him.

Lovino blushed and mumbled, "Yeah. You look really good too."

Antonio smiled then took Lovino's hand. The Italian muttered something to himself about his clingy husband-to-be. But of course, he grasped the tanned man's hand right back.

What followed was a very long spiel from the minister, as most weddings had. He mentioned the lord smiling down on the new couple, blessings to their lives, and what a magical moment this was. Everyone in the room agreed and already the women were beginning to tear up. Lovino wasn't listening at the very least bit. His head was aching from the man's deep, melodic voice. With his head pounding on his skull, he leaned on an ecstatic Antonio. The Spaniard, who _was_ paying attention, had noticed the minister was speaking about relying on another when his adorable Lovi decided to lean on him. He lit up like a Christmas tree.

About twenty minutes later, the priest finally finished with his talk, he focused on the couple before him. At the mentioning of Antonio's amazing proposal, Lovino snapped fully awake. He quickly blushed pink from the memories and grumbled to himself more than once. Then the priest asked for the rings. Now Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis were in charge of this part, considering Lovino's family felt like he didn't have anything too important to do. Lovino wondered which one of Antonio's or his little relatives would walk down. But weren't all of them either in the pews or had walked down already? Then Melana and Malene opened the church doors.

Romano, in a black tuxedo made just for him, strode in. Everyone couldn't decide whether to laugh or cheer, so they did both. He walked beside Spain, also in a tux. Red bow ties and all, together they sauntered down the aisle with something in their mouths. Lovino just stared at them before shooting at look at Antonio. The Spaniard smiled in response. When the felines got down the aisle, it could be seen what was in their mouths. Romano and Spain were the ring bearers, each with their owner's chosen rings for their spouses in their mouths.

Lovino, impressed, took his golden ring for Antonio from Romano. He patted his furry head before the feline sat next to Antonio. The Spaniard took the leaf shaped ring from his large cat. Spain, still a clumsy mass of fur, started to walk to Lovino and fell directly on his furry face. The church cracked up, including the grooms. It took a moment for order to be restored after the tumble. It was time for the more personal time of the wedding. With their rings in hand, they began to their vows. Antonio cleared his throat.

"Lovino Vargas, my Lovi, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I couldn't have done a lot of things had you ever stepped into my world. I can't explain how grateful I am, how amazing you are, and the life we're going to lead together. I'm not exactly a genius, sort of clumsy too, and let's face it, the last time I tried to fix a sink we had to buy a new one-" the church laughed, "-but my faults just make life that much more interesting, doesn't it? Now, about the nickname 'Lovi', I call you that because I love you. You probably would have gotten annoyed if I told you I cared every single day. So I use 'Lovi' as a disguise; it means the same thing. Lovi, my heart, soul, and everything else belong to you. I hope you'll except them," Antonio finished, kissing Lovino's cheek.

A chorus of 'aww' went through the room. Romano, for once, wasn't disgusted. Spain was purring. Lovino was glowing like the bright sun. He was embarrassed beyond compare, but he fell for Antonio all over again. Now it was his turn.

Lovino sighed then started, "Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo, we're both aware I'm not the kind of person who's open and whatnot with their feelings. I'm shy, OK? But I'm willing to say this for both our sakes: Antonio, I really do love you to the ends of the universe. I don't even know why you treat me like some sort of god yet I want you to feel the same. In this ceremony—even before this—I give myself to you. You're my knight in shining tomato armor, silly clown, tanned god, and forever lover."

Antonio's heart skipped as the warm sighs of happiness washed over the church. Lovino had never stated a single thing like that out loud; Antonio had to guess. Now the Spaniard noticed a tear on his own cheek and started to move his hand to wipe it away. But Lovino got there first with a gentle hand. With loving smiles, the rings were exchanged. Lovino's mother started crying all over again, sobbing on her bawling father's shoulder. The mother of Antonio had tried to not cry but broke into tearful joy as her son took the hand of the man he loved. Again, it was time for the priest to speak. However, this time, it was to bring them together.

"Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo, do you take Lovino Vargas as your lawfully wedded husband?" the bearded priest asked.

"I happily do," Antonio answered, clutching Lovino's hand.

"And Lovino Vargas, do you take Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo as _your_ lawfully wedded husband?" the minister said in a golden voice.

Lovino, smiling sweetly, said, "Yes. I do."

"Alright, by the power invested in me, you may now kiss your groom," the priest announced, gesturing towards the two men.

With a gentle hand Antonio titled his beloved's chin upwards. He leaned forward a bit and claimed the other man's lips in his own. Neither of them heard the immense applause, their mother's happy crying, or the words of good luck. All they heard was the sound of the fresh spark between their pink lips.

* * *

><p>About eleven years later, a still grumpy Romano sat under a carnation bush. At fourteen years old, he was getting on in years but kept his scowl. He was in the front yard of the house, a large white abode with black shutters and a red door. The porch had three rocking chairs on it with Spain sleeping in Antonio's. The house had a larger garden with more plants to explore in the back. Lovino wasn't home yet and Antonio was still out. Romano sighed. Life had lost all of its crazy drama. Sweet rest, fine food, and warm cuddles had replaced it. And Romano was more than happy about it. A small yellow butterfly flew into the sun. Giving up on the journey to the far away star, it landed on a leaf of Romano's bush. He smiled at it.<p>

"I got it!" a voice yipped, pouncing on the winged insect.

A full grown Toma, his age eleven, was almost as old as Romano but always kept his puppy undertone. The butterfly leapt into the air and fluttered away. Toma pouted from the ground. Romano hissed at him for disturbing the peace and came out from the bush. The cheerful dog licked his friend's face with plenty of drool. Romano growled and went to the porch.

Spain's brown fur was tinged with white. His whiskers were long, white, and plenty. He snored loudly in his old age. Romano still loved the cat to pieces even on his worst days with hairballs and raspy coughs. He rubbed his cheek against Spain's less than furry one. Opening his weary green eyes, Spain smiled up at his friend. Yawning and stretching Spain shook. His stupidity was now accompanied by bad memory in this age and he forgot they were standing in a rocking chair. The chair shook violently then threw the felines off.

Spain landed on his friend and smiled lovingly. Romano grumbled to himself and wiggled out from under Spain's brown mass. The cats settled under Lovino's chair together, their tails forever twisted together. A few minutes later a tomato red pickup truck pulled into the driveway. A certain Spaniard of thirty-six stepped out. He was home from his pleasant yet sometimes stressful job at a five-star restaurant. Spain wanted to run and greet him but he realized years earlier he never had the energy to greet his human then come back to the house.

"Good afternoon you guys!" Antonio happily said to his pets.

Toma rushed up to Antonio and jumped up on his shirt. Antonio laughed while his active dog licked his face. Then Toma bounced to the back door of the truck, waiting to greet the little person getting out of it. Carmen, an adopted child of seven and raised by the two men since she was ten days old, hopped out to hug her puppy. She looked an awful lot like Antonio with chocolate curls pulled in a side ponytail, tanned skin, bright green eyes, and a sweet attitude about everything.

She threw her tanned arms around Toma's grey neck as she was tenderly kissed with a pink tongue. Carmen kissed his nose before leading the way to the front porch. Spain rubbed against her little legs once she got there. She scratched behind his ears and peeked under her other father's chair for Romano. The cat came out of his hiding spot, only to be picked up by his favorite little tyke. Carmen buried her face in Romano's soft fur as she went inside.

"Did Roma miss me?" Carmen murmured to her forever young kitten.

If Romano could speak, he would have said he most certainly did. Before Carmen, Romano had been very bitter about the idea of children. But when Lovino and Antonio came home one day with a sleeping pink bundle, Romano was in love with Carmen. He had watched her grow up and was enjoying it. At this human age of sixty, Romano was having a hard time keeping up with her. Even Romano knew he wouldn't be around to see her off to college. But it was fun while it lasted. Carmen chased the cat all around the house when she first learned to walk. There was many a funny picture of a baby Carmen drooling on his ear. She nearly crushed the poor feline to death when she hugged him close during a thunder storm even when she was in her parents' bed.

"Carmen, you're going to break your Daddy's kitty eventually if you hold him like that," Antonio commented, eyeing the cat held by under his front legs.

"Roma doesn't mind, Papa, now do you Romy?" Carmen asked her cat.

"Meow," Romano answered, licking her hand.

Antonio smiled warmly as Carmen seated Romano on her lap on the couch. He had achieved what he wanted: he had the beautiful house he wanted, married his beloved Lovino, gotten his dream job as an adored chef, and now had two—

"Papa!" cried a small girl, America, Iggy, and her nanny right behind her, "Hi! Merry-ca, Iggy, and me missed you this much!" she spread out her arms as far as they could go.

The tiny girl was Juntas, her name meaning 'together'. She was adopted at one year old but treated the two men like they were her real parents. This daughter took Lovino's handsome looks. Her brown eyes pierced into her father's eyes. Juntas' long, pretty amber hair bounced after her as she scuttled around. Thankfully she hadn't seen much of Lovino's bad side so she kept her innocent air. Behind her America raced after with his Iggy walking a few steps back.

America had aged in a way only a hero could. He pounced, ventured about, and played like a kitten, keeping his superpowers. But every now and again his joints would act up at fourteen years or he'd cough. Even so, not all heroes could stay young most of the time. Iggy preferred to grow old gracefully. He followed Juntas around, tended to America's grooming for now he _did_ have back problems, and enjoyed life at the fullest. Iggy was a little more cheerful once the regular vet became Kimmy Brown. She kept to herself that the pair used to belong to her but took extra special care of them during visits. And maybe having Carmen and Juntas around made him feel a tad bit younger.

Antonio picked up the three year old and smooched her cheek, "Papa missed you too, Juntas. Did you behave for Miss Maldory?"

"She was an angel was always, Mr. Fernandez-Carriedo," Miss Maldory said, "I will see you tomorrow, Juntas."

As the nanny left out of the doorway, a certain Italian, who was rather tired from the two cases he had to deal with that day, stepped in while saying hello to the nanny. She waved to him. Lovino, formally Lovino Vargas, Fernandez-Carriedo walked in to be greeted by his little girls. Carmen flung her arms around her father's leg. Juntas claimed the other one. Antonio was the most happy with Romano a close second. The Spaniard secured his husband's lips with his own and hugged him. Romano mewed from the couch in greeting.

"I asked for a hello, not a human cage!" Lovino half-heartedly grumbled, kissing Antonio back.

"_Hola*, _Daddy~!" Juntas chirped.

"How was your day?" Carmen sweetly asked, attempting to haul her father's heavy briefcase, "Ngh! Papa, briefcase too big!"

Antonio took the briefcase from his tiny daughter and went up to his bedroom. Lovino, used to this routine, settled down on the large couch. Romano crawled into his lap happily, listening as the girls told their father about their day. Carmen had won the spelling bee between the three second grade classes, crushing her rivals. After a quick run to her room, Juntas waved an abstract painting of fingerprints, cat paws, and brush strokes in her father's face. Though being a lawyer could be stressful, Lovino was more than happy to come home his little darlings.

From his person's lap, Romano yawned, flicking out his pink tongue. Life was good, enjoying his human family and feline one. As the children went on about the day, Romano remembered the kittens he once fostered. A few years after the intense drama of Sadiq and such, a mewing was heard from the backyard. A tiny pair of white and black kittens had been abandoned in the backyard under a bush. One had a white locket and the other had a tiny black spot on her head. Since Lovino and Antonio were too busy with their new baby, Spain and Romano had ended playing parents to the boy and girl until they were adopted.

Ragazza, the girl, and her brother Ragazzo were old enough not to need a mother but still treated the older cats as parents. It was difficult, at first, to orient the kittens into the everyday lives of the one dog and four cat household, but time was the remedy. The pair cuddled up next to a fatherly Spain when he went to bed and followed him around the house. They often ate out of Romano's bowl while he was, not wanting to be left alone. Romano had often hissed when anyone was around but Lovino still caught the 'mother' cat cleaning the kittens' little faces after meals or letting them snuggle against his belly when he slept. Ragazzo always fetched his sister food even when she was right next to it. The tykes reminded Romano of his hard days under the broken down bench in the old park, which was now redone and the bench had been thrown away.

Romano had been depressed when the people down the street took 'his' children. But every now and again he looked out the window and saw the now adult cats smiling at him or waving their tails. He understood they had their own families; they couldn't be around all of the time. Every time Romano thought of them he felt even older because his children had moved on. Lovino's hand stroked Romano's back, quickly making the cat end his thoughts. He purred in response and started to knead Lovino's dress pants. Juntas then requested her father's attention and it was over. As the three year old led her Daddy away, Romano curled up next to Spain. America snuggled next to Iggy as Toma sat on the floor.

"Hahaha! Guys, we're getting old!" America laughed, thinking it crazy that the pets would ever reach this age.

"I say! I am quite happy at the age I am and am joyful about what I'm going to be!" Iggy spat, "But I have to say I'm not exactly happy with my aching knees."

"That screams 'old', my dear Iggy!" America pointed out, earning a hiss from his Iggy.

"I kind of like being this age. No more drama, I get to hang out with Junty and Carmen, I get to laze around and no one will stop me, and I like to relax until I move on to a place filled with heavenly yarn...so much yarn," Spain said.

"Spain, shut up. I'd rather not think about having you die," Romano growled.

"Aw, sorry, Roma. But I do remember a certain kitty who wanted to send me to the darkest part of the universe without a nightlight," Spain teased, "Said kitty also left on an adventure without me."

"I highly doubt being kidnapped is counted as an adventure, even though Sadiq-" Toma looked up at this name as Iggy spoke, "-legally obtained you."

"Do we have to talk about this?" Toma moaned, "It was a long time ago and I'd rather not think about him."

"Yeah guys! We're depressin' a buddy, dang it!" America nodded.

"Merry!" Juntas cheered, coming to the living room when Antonio went to cook dinner.

"Junty~!" America cried, not at the least insulted by his nickname, "Nyan~!"

Juntas claimed her pet in her arms then reached for Iggy. With the Scottish Fold under her arm and America in the crook of the other one, Juntas skipped outside. It seemed as though the children had chosen a group of pets or pet they preferred to play with. Carmen bounced in to sit Romano and Spain. She had her huge art set, paper, and one of the buttery cannolis Lovino had made the other day. The white cream inside went all over her tanned face when she bit down on the dessert. Romano laughed to himself. Toma pranced over to keep her company on the floor while she colored. Carmen scribbled on the white paper, quickly turning it into an array of colors. Antonio strode in, out of his chef outfit. He was about to cook paella for dinner when he caught his eldest daughter sneaking dessert.

"Carmen, what did I say about eating those before you ate dinner?" Antonio began to lecture.

Swallowing, Carmen quietly said, "You told me not to..."

"Well, I said nothing; Lovi did. Maybe I'll let it slide...mostly because I'm about to get one myself," Antonio chuckled.

"You're both guilty," Lovino said from behind.

Antonio spun around and took his husband in his strong arms, "Lovi~! Why yes, I am guilty. Now take me to jail..." he added slyly.

"You-. Oh, screw you, Antonio," Lovino grumbled, "I'd gladly handcuff you to a building due for demolition."

"And what would you handcuff me to on the building?" Antonio asked.

"Something!" Lovino gave up, "And get in the kitchen already!"

"Yes sir!" Antonio said, saluting and rushing into the large kitchen.

Later that night, in the wooden drawer he constantly fell asleep in years before, Spain quietly snored and Romano watched him sleep. The drawer was still right beside Lovino and Antonio's bed with the tomato comforter on it. While Spain had slipped away into a land of dreams Romano stared at the window. The sky was stirring up a thunderstorm, complete with blue-black clouds, a crescent moon, and bright flashes. The girls would be in here in a moment. Romano preferred to stay awake and observe everything.

About ten minutes later, the sky exploded with thunder followed by blinding lightening. There was a shriek and soon two tiny girls rushed into their parents' room. Carmen leapt onto Antonio and shook the heavy sleeper of a Spaniard awake. Juntas in her pink footie pajamas just stood in the doorway crying, her two cats under her arms.

"_Que*? _What's going on?" Antonio groggily mumbled, "Carmen, Juntas, what's wron—"

Antonio was cut off by a giant applause of thunder. Whatever was in the sky seemed to want to cheer on the children's fears. Juntas cried harder. Lovino picked her up and placed her in the bed. America followed right along then lay down on Juntas' right side. Iggy slumped on the bed on the opposite side of the Spanish girl. Carmen crawled in next to Antonio followed by curling up in the crook of his muscular arm.

"_Chicas*_, come on. It's way too late for this. You should have been asleep already," Antonio sleepily said with Carmen snuggled close.

"The thunder woked me up!" Juntas whimpered.

Lovino brought her closer to his chest and rocked her, "Shush, Junty. Ugh, fine, you two. You can stay. I was afraid of thunder myself when I was younger."

"Lightening kills people; Jeremy in my class said so!" Carmen said, automatically making Juntas cry again.

"Hey, hold on. Yes, it does, but we're indoors; we're fine. Nothing is going to hurt any of us. Daddy and I will protect you. Plus I'm pretty sure the kitties and dog will be of assistance," Antonio murmured before yawning, "Ah, Lovi, can you get Spain and Romano out of that drawer?"

Lovino grumbled and reached over for his cat. Romano acted just the same as he was placed on the bed. Spain came next. Toma, or Romeo, was at the floor of the bed to begin with. Finally, after a bit of rearranging, favoritism, and Lovino's temper, everyone was settled in the large double bed. The two little girls were in between their parents, still shaking a little. Juntas was against Lovino and Carmen near Antonio. Antonio still got his arms around Lovino's waist. Iggy cuddled closer to America. The hero feline wrapped his fluffy black tail around his dear friend.

"Hm, that's better. Now how about we all get some shuteye? You two go to your grandmother's tomorrow, Lovi has to fly to California to take a case, and I go to cook for a company in Chicago," Antonio said, "How about we think the thunder is just the angels clapping for us, huh?"

Juntas nodded and agreed, "OK. Why they clapping though?"

"Because of the light show the lightening is putting on," Lovino whispered, kissing Juntas on the head, "Now sleep."

As the girls obeyed their Daddy, Antonio pressed his lips to Lovino's cheek, "Lovi, how come you only thought of that now? We could have been using that for years."

"Oh shush. I don't have time to stay up and cradle them all night," Lovino grumbled, "I needed something to keep them quiet tonight. I love them but I refuse to look all baggy-eyed during a case."

"You know what Lovi? You make a really good mommy," Antonio cooed and put his forehead on Lovino's.

"Shut up," Lovino growled, rubbing his forehead on the tanned one.

Soon the humans were finally quiet. The thunder stopped cheering a half hour later but only Romano noticed. Now the lightening was getting depressed from having no audience and settled down for the night. The night faded into a sleepy dark atmosphere. It was rare for anyone to be awake to see this but Romano watched the simple pleasure with vaguely cheerful eyes.

Romano yawned. He was an old man, yes, but a happy one. Back aches, slow memory, and blurry vision creeped up on him daily however they did nothing to lower his mood. He had seen the worst parts of the domestic animal world, the parts filled with cobwebs and chains. He had also seen the best parts: parenthood, tolerance, the power of friendship and love, and the magic of keeping your goal in sight. Though he was well aware at some point or another permanent dark would pass over his body Romano was glad he lived the life he did. He eyed the Spanish cat next to him. Through thick, thin, blood, and new this feline had stayed true. Smiling, Romano lay down his head surrounded by the ones he cared for and always would.

* * *

><p>Well, this ends 'Why Does He Care?' on a good note. I enjoyed writing this story for all of you and I hope you liked it right back. <strong>UPDATE:<strong> I fixed a spelled mistake or two.


	33. Ragazza Part 1 of 3

Several years ago, Romano was terribly bored. It was in the dead part of winter, where everything is too cold to truly move around and get anything done. The garden in the backyard was exhausted from being pretty for all of the spring, summer, and fall. Most of the plants were dormant, storing their bright pinks, oranges, blues, and yellows in the closet until spring. Romano found it made the entire backyard depressing. He was laying on his side in the upstairs lounge glaring out the slightly frosted window. Snow lightly fell outside and Romano despised it. The feline lay on a heated pad in a cheery red sweater. The sweater was even more despised. It was warm wool and it was Antonio's idea. Curse that bastard, Romano grumbled. He was wonderfully warm in the sweater, above the heating pad, and surrounded by the general house heat. But he still looked ridiculous.

Sighing, Romano took to staring out the window. Every slightly interesting animal or bug was asleep until spring; there was nothing to watch. Everyone else in the large house was still snoozing. Romano wasn't sure even sure why he was awake. He was pondering about his liveliness when he heard a cry from outside the window. Craning his neck Romano met eyes with a tiny black creature. The cold sun was too bright to see the animal's facial features. Romano started for the window and startled the poor beast.

The pitch black animal slipped as it made eye contact with Romano. It plummeted from the window, out of sight. Romano gasped; falling from that height equaled death. Ignoring how irritated he was with his sweater, Romano rushed out of the house. The freezing wind smashed against him like a back handed slap. In the backyard the animal couldn't be seen. The snow had made a light sheet over the ground. A perfect white dusted everything in sight. Romano would have relished in it had he not spotted the black tail going behind a sleeping azalea bush.

Two tiny, scraggly pieces of fur mewed quietly under the dormant bush. One was smaller than the other. It sported a black spot near its ragged left ear and was white otherwise. It lay on its side; Romano wasn't even sure if it was alive. The one who had fallen off the windowpane was hissing loudly at Romano. What a rude little beast. They were completely black with a tiny white locket on their chest. Romano swatted the black kitten on the nose, shushing the animal. As discovered earlier, Romano despised young beings, human and beast. The kitten started to snap at Romano's paws now. In response, Romano stepped on his ear and held it to the ground. Let's see him bite me now, Romano smugly thought, the little bastar—ouch! Romano yelped as the kitten whipped around and sank fangs into his ankle. What a cocky little blemish on nature!

"Alright, twerp, what's your problem?" Romano growled, licking his paw.

The kitten hissed and went back to the meowing kitten. When the animal turned around, Romano discovered it was male, for one thing, and its leg was slightly out of order. The other kitten rolled over, revealed its female gender, and cleaned her friend's ear. She was just getting fleas and ticks in her mouth but as long as her friend was clean, she was happy. It reminded Romano of a certain Spanish feline. The black kitten glared angrily at Romano. Not wanting to be slashed again, Romano retreated inside.

Carmen had taken to exploring her new home with Toma directly behind her. Despite his Pit Bull, immense size, and fighting heritage, Toma followed Carmen around as though she was a bug Toma had a feeling he shouldn't eat. The fresh human posed no threat besides pulling on his ears every once in a while. Antonio watched from the hallway, nervous but confident in his canine. He desperately wanted to prove to both himself and Lovino that he could manage a child. A child really would complete the family: he had the dog, cats, great house, fantastic job doing what he loved, and a great marriage doing _who_ he loved. The only thing missing in the equation were little feet pitter-pattering across the floor.

Toma poked noses with the caramel colored baby in curiosity. Green orbs stared back. While the canine and human had a moment, Spain and Iggy watched from the couch. Iggy had a jab in his heart from missing his Kimmy Brown. He wasn't sure if he was ready for a new child yet. The Scottish Fold sulked in his usual blue pillow next to Spain. Spain, surprisingly, was nervous about approaching Carmen. She was so small and fragile, why else would Lovino be so protective of her? Spain remembered being a kitten. His mother, a beautiful longhair with a creamy brown color, had cared endlessly for her babies. She hunted during the day for food, leaving her children under a warm scrap of fabric. The fabric wasn't clean, but it kept the furless kittens warm. The kittens were useless as babies; they couldn't help their mother hunt or care for themselves in the slightest way. Of course, the second they could defend their homes, an animal catcher snatched all of the children up and carted them away.

Spain sighed sadly. If he could only remember the rest of the story he wouldn't grieve in silence so often. Wait, what was he talking about? Hey, Spain thought, is that Legs? Romano walked in as Spain jumped from the couch to get a closer look at the window. The smaller feline grumbled angrily before seeing Spain. He still, of course, grumbled but he seemed to change the subject. Carmen crawled in Spain's direction with Toma several inches behind. She reached for the fluffy brown tail and flicked it back and forth between her hands.

"Roma! ¡Hola, mi amigo!" Spain chirped, completely obvious to the tiny hand playing with the extension to his rear end, "What's wrong, Romy?"

"What's wrong? Well, let's see, there's a few celebrities we could go without…," Romano sarcastically.

Spain pouted, "Romano."

"Alright, jeez. Did you see that thing fall from the window?" Romano asked.

"What thing? I saw something, but it looked like a black bird fell from a tree," Spain admitted, "Why? Is something in the backyard? I wanna see!"

Spain shook off Carmen's hand and started for the door. Romano took a few minutes trying to stop Spain, considering the kittens were down on their luck enough and adding fifteen pounds of jumpy energy would scare them even more. Then he realized the little bastard kitten probably deserved it. Reluctantly Romano led Spain into the garden and behind the sleepy azalea bush. Spain peeked in first, his large body blocking Romano's view. It was oddly silent.

"Awww! You were right Roma! I saw this ant before!" Spain declared.

In shock Romano jumped on Spain's back. He was right; the brown nest of grass the kittens had been laying in was empty. Not a speck of fur or claw was left. Romano feared the worst. What if Toma got them? Romano was only gone for two minutes and Toma had been inside. Maybe animal control picked the kittens up? Kittens went quickly at animal shelters. Being at the pound was probably better than living under an azalea bush in the dead of winter. A nice family would select the pair and they'd have a forever family. Or, in the worst case possible, they could end up with someone like Sadiq.

"What? Where did they go?" Romano cried.

"Silly Roma, the ants are right here. See that one with the legs? That's Legs. And that pretty lady with the three antennae? She's Anty. And-," Spain babbled.

"I don't care! I wasn't even talking about freaking ants! There were two kittens here, like, ten seconds ago! Where could they be?" Romano moaned.

"Were they your kittens, Roma?" Spain asked.

"You ask the stupidest questions in the world."

"Hey, can't a kitty wonder? Anyways, there's nothing we can do now. How about we wait until tomorrow, go out early, and look for them?" Spain suggested, rubbing his cheek against Romano's.

Romano hissed and stalked back towards the porch. Spain's plan was crazed. There was little chance of the kittens being alive let alone coming back to the house of the nosy cat. Also, did Romano just call himself nosy? Romano wondered why he was worried about two stupid stains on the world. Felines came and went; what made these two so different?

"Romano, Spain! Dinner!" Romano heard Lovino call.

Oh well. Such troublesome thoughts could wait until tomorrow. It was time to gorge in gourmet cat food and ignore all troubles. But even his meal wasn't pleasant as it was the first time Carmen had eaten outside of her room. The world was huge from her pink highchair. She was more interested in the four felines and large dog flocking to their bowls than the food Antonio was trying to feed her. Carmen wiggled constantly, trying to get a better view of the furry beasts. Spain rubbed at her suspended feet from the floor, making her giggle and get apricot over her bib.

Sighing, Antonio wiped her face, "Lovi, she's not eating. What should I do?"

"You wanted her, you figure it out," Lovino bluntly said, eating another _pinchitos_ from his plate.

"Lovi…come on, that's not fair," Antonio whimpered.

Lovino grumbled and reached over to Carmen. She grabbed his little finger happily, her mouth open with a giggle. With a quick movement, Lovino had a spoonful of food into the baby's mouth. Carmen swallowed obediently and waited for more. Lovino forced the tiny spoon into Antonio's grasp and continued eating. Antonio gaped as Lovino went back to his meal.

"Wait…what…how?" Antonio mumbled.

"Shut your mouth or a fly might go in," Lovino advised.

* * *

><p>Romano was never a morning feline. He enjoyed sleeping in and laying around for a few minutes before really waking up. Spain, however, claimed to 'forget' and woke Romano up at six in the morning to look for the kittens. They ate a quick breakfast and scrambled out into the backyard. The area behind the once pink azalea bush was still empty. The brownish grass had been untouched since the day before. Romano sagged with sadness before he could stop himself. A scrap a black fur was left under the bush, however. It was the last token of the kittens.<p>

"Crap. They didn't come back," Romano whimpered, "Who knows where they are now?"

Spain nuzzled Romano, "They've got to be somewhere! Hey, look! The ants are here to cheer you up!"

The ants were moving the scrap of black fur into their ant hole with surprising speed. Romano stepped on the ants, specifically Legs, to Spain's clear horror. The piece of raggedy fur was a sore thumb in the light brown grass. It was rough with dirt and thick from the cold weather. Romano shivered, walking back towards the back door. After his awful experiences in a basement with icicles hanging from the ceiling Romano could only be out for so long.

He had the stupid sweater Lovino had to put on him but the Italian had stayed up late last night. Lovino wouldn't be up until later. The "Carmen" or whatever had screamed for hours on end the night before. Even from the mostly closed side table drawer Romano could hear the creature breaking the sound barrier. Antonio had left the room first. The crying stopped for a moment, a cease fire in a great war, before exploding into a full machine gun wail. The man had come back looking for an aid. Shaking Lovino violently, Antonio pleaded for sanctuary.

"Lovi? Lovi! Wake up!" Antonio half whispered.

In a whirlwind of anger, Lovino snapped, "What now, bastard? I'm trying to sleep!"

"Lovi, Carmen won't sleep! She's been crying for half an hour! I need help _por favor_!" Antonio begged.

Lovino, with a smirk, growled, "You, once again, asked for her. _I'm_ not going to be the one losing sleep over this."

"Would you stop doing—Lovi! If you don't help me, you lose sleep anyway because she won't stop crying and then you'll regret not helping," Antonio commented, displaying an immense amount of reasoning, "What kind of parent are you?"

Guilt swam in Lovino for a second before he went into action. Growling at Antonio, Lovino shoved back the covers and stomped down the hall. Romano, who realized he wouldn't be sleeping any time soon, followed after his Italian. The moment the door to the beast's cave was opened Romano eardrums started beating out a samba. He ran behind Antonio in utter fear. The beast was in its fullest form: the eyes were twisted shut, its mouth was emitting an endless scream, and its entire body was bright red. Tiny fists balled and unballed, clutching for their next victim. Lovino, crazily to Romano, picked up the wailing monster and sat in the weird chair that never stood still. He purposely made the chair rock a bit, gently nuzzling the red ogre. Romano rubbed against Lovino's legs, hoping to snap him back to reality.

"Lovi, you might be magic," Antonio cooed, leaning on the back of the chair.

Stopping the sweet act, Lovino hissed at Antonio, "Shut up, it's working."

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, the beast had lowered its volume. Now they just looked sleepy, cuddling Lovino's chest and gurgling. Lovino kissed their pudgy cheek and set them back in the cage. A blanket went over the beast in a loving matter. Romano had felt a large thump in Lovino's as the ogre held onto his pinky…

"Good morning!" Toma cried, crashing into the kitchen.

Romano had been interrupted from his thoughts as usual. He hissed as the large dog bounced around the room. The Pit Bull gave his standard sloppy kisses to everyone who didn't want them. He excused himself outside soon after America, Iggy, and Antonio came down for the day. The Spaniard stretched lazily, slight bags under his eyes from several nights of insomnia. He dragged himself to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast with America sitting on the floor waiting for handouts.

"You know, if you keep eating all that human food you'll get fatter than you already are," Iggy lectured as America gobbled down half a piece of smoked ham.

With his mouth full, America responded, "Shuf up wom-ane. Fime's a herfo. And if dat herfo wants to eaf, den wet 'im eaf!"

"I'm going to pretend I understand what you're saying and move on," Iggy said, heading for his full bowl.

"Look what I found!" Toma cried, exploding into the room.

Romano would have ignored Toma on a regular basis. Occasionally, he'd take a quick glance at whatever Toma had in his mouth. It would be an oddly shaped leaf, a shiny blue bug, or some sort of dead animal. The dog was always so pleased with himself about the simplest piece of trash he randomly found. But his treasures rarely made any sound. A loud mew flew into the air, in first class, and into Romano's ear. It was the black and white kitten, as scraggly and weak as she was last time Romano saw her. She flailed in Toma's sloppy mouth and whined.

"Hey, a kitten!" Spain exclaimed, "How cute! Where'd you find her?"

"Put her down, you idiot! You're hurting her!" Romano snarled, swiping his claws against Toma's leg.

The dumb dog yelped and the kitten fell from his mouth. She lay in a crumpled heap on the floor for a hot second before scuttling under Romano. Nestling into Romano's soft underbelly, she purred and began to clean herself. Iggy groaned in disgust.

"Toma, where did you get a kitten? Did it fall out of a window, or did you 'find it' in someone's house?" Iggy questioned, trying to get a look at the mostly hidden kitten, "What an ugly little mongrel…"

"Shut up, Iggy! At least her ears are straight!" Romano growled, lowering himself to keep the kitten warm.

"Excuse me? I find my ears to be rather elegant and exotic!" Iggy snapped back.

"Mommy!"

There was a pause before anyone said anything. The voice who cried for their mother was high pitched and sweet like a daisy. Romano looked at the kitten rubbing into his belly. She smiled up at him then rolled onto her back.

"Mommy!" she cried again, "Hungy!"

Iggy smirked, "Well, well. Congratulations, Romano, I had no idea you were a mother."

"Shut your face, crinkle ears!" Romano hissed.

"Will you two stop? I think she says she's hungry, Roma," Spain said.

Romano decided Spain was right. The kitten was as thin as a toothpick: her ribs, spine, and skull were clearly visible. He was careful not to hurt her as he picked her up by the scruff of the neck. She didn't seem to mind as she hung uselessly in the air. Romano's food bowl was full. He had enough to spare.

Setting the kitten down, Romano nudged the kitten to the bowl, "Go on, eat up."

She looked at the food for a moment then stared at Romano. Of course, Romano thought, I bet she thinks I'm trying to poison her or something. The feline ate a little and stepped back. The kitten threw herself in, gobbling down food at amazing speeds. It was actually slightly terrifying. Heck, even America didn't eat that fast!

"Hey, slow down! You'll make yourself sick!" Romano lectured, pulling the kitten back a bit.

"Finished!" she sang, leaping out of the near empty bowl.

"I see…" Romano slowly said.

She scampered into the living room. Antonio, going to the dining room with a tray piled high with food, passed by. He just stared for a moment at Romano's empty bowl. In the end, he shook his head. Some things just weren't worth questioning.

* * *

><p>I felt like adding a little more to this story. This is just how Romano came to get Ragazzo and Ragazza. There will be two more parts and that'll be all. I hope you enjoy! Read and Review, please!<p> 


	34. Ragazza and Ragazzo Part 2 of 3

"Ekin," Toma tried.

"Oh, oh, how about Burger?" America suggested loudly.

"That is the world's stupidest name! We're not calling her that!" Romano snapped.

"I like Elizabeth," Iggy announced, "It speaks wisdom, honor, and grace."

"She's a kitten, she has none of those things," Romano added.

"Fine then, what do you suggest, oh Lord of Naming Things?" Iggy stated.

Romano had no clue. The kitten, still nameless, lay next to Romano on the settee in the master bedroom, yawning contently. She was used to sleeping on cracked leaves or rough concrete. The soft, welcoming material of the couch was heaven on Earth to her. Also the warm felines and single dog around her were comforting. But she missed her friend, the little black kitten with the white locket. She wondered what he was doing right about now. How loud the adult cats are, she thought as she wiggled under a pillow. The grown-up cats were yelling a lot about somebody named Elizabeth—wait, no, Julia—now she was Pickles McFries—Ragazza?

"I found her, and I like Ragazza!" Romano cried, wrapping his tail around the kitten.

"What does that even mean?" America asked.

"It means 'girl' in Italian. That's what she is for sure," Romano answered before glaring at Iggy, "It speaks what she is, how she is, and, oh yeah, _grace_."

Iggy made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat, "Who cares about the name anyways? Lovino and Antonio aren't even aware she's here. With a new baby I highly doubt they'll want another cat."

In unison, the remaining adult animals said, "A baby?"

"Since when did they have one of those?" Spain asked, "I thought they were two guys."

"Wait, how was she born if they're two guys…ugh? Eew," Toma muttered.

"So that's what Carmen is…" Romano mumbled.

"Haha! They had a kitten! I bet twenty pounds of catnip that Lovino's the mom!" America laughed.

While Romano attacked America for his latest comment, Lovino passed by the door with a basket of clean laundry. He had to do the chore quickly or America would take to sleeping on the various pieces of clothing. A pair of Carmen's pajamas, pink patterned with teddy bears, was on the top. Cats licked their fur. Before Carmen, Lovino probably wouldn't have cared. After reading one too many infant care books, the man learned how dangerous foreign substances, such as cat and dog saliva, were to babies. If cat saliva got all over his child, Lovino would have a fit. A fit that would probably end in getting the felines shaved.

Now they were lying all over the couch in the bedroom. The thought of mounds of cat fur all in his room made Lovino's skin crawl. The animals had been in the master bedroom before, but all of sudden goose bumps crawled up his skin. He put down his basket and started for the couch. First he had to pull Romano's claws out of America's thigh. The idea of those same sharp claws in Carmen's leg jumped into Lovino's mind. He gagged; he'd already seen the talons in Antonio's leg and the fifteen stitches that were needed. As Lovino placed the cats on the ground and shooed Romeo from the premises, he noticed a tiny tail under a pillow. Lovino lifted the cushion. A petite kitten was on her back, squinting into the sunlight.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Lovino exclaimed.

It felt good to curse. Antonio had metaphorically duct-taped Lovino's dirty mouth. The Spaniard figured a single naughty word could turn their adopted daughter from a sweet child with a bright future to a chain smoking juvenile delinquent sentenced for murder. This was six months ago. The stored rage was boiling in Lovino and now a bit of it had been set free. Lovino let out a delighted sigh. The kitten, thinking the sigh was for her, nuzzled Lovino's hand.

Lovino quickly withdrew his hand, "Back, you scrawny little mongrel. Ugh, you look and smell awful," he concluded, "You're getting a bath."

He carried the bicolor babe into his bathroom. She happily sat still on the long counter. Oh thank god, Lovino thought as he filled the large white tub with warm water, I don't have to wash Carmen in here. Lovino dumped in plenty of bubble bath and gently set the kitten in the tub. She cried for a minute before adjusting to the temperature of the water. Lovino scrubbed her thick fur, shivering at the amount of fleas and ticks getting on his hands. His mind was eased at how grateful the kitten looked. Her blue eyes were closed in joy and she mewed joyfully.

"You're a sweet little thing, aren't you?" Lovino cooed, stroking under her chin.

The kitten clacked in response.

Lovino sighed, "We've already got four cats, the damn dog, and Carmen. No, we can't adopt some random cat off the streets with Carmen being so vulnerable. But I don't want to put a tiny _ragazza_ like you on the street during the winter. Huh. Actually, Ragazza might be a pretty good name for you."

From the doorway, Romano stuck his tongue out at Iggy.

"Damn it. My mother always warned me: the second you name something, you can't let go of it. Great. I'll ask Antonio, a.k.a The Man who Wanted the Kid. That dumbass…" Lovino murmured.

Ragazza sat in Lovino's lap on a towel as Lovino drained the water from the tub. She was dried with a plush towel and brushed. She arched her back as the new bristles made their journey down her fur. The amount of attention she was getting distracted her from her growling belly. The organ moaned and flopped in near starvation. Though she had eaten Romano's entire meal a mere two hours ago, Ragazza's angry stomach was beginning to gnaw on her lower intestine. The babe hopped from the towel and out of the room on her way to the kitchen.

"What the heck? Where is she going?" Lovino mumbled, following her.

The adult cats and Lovino trailed after the little infant as she sauntered to the kitchen. Antonio, coming upstairs with a sleepy Carmen in his arms, nearly tripped over the petite mongrel. Lovino glared at him for being in the way and Romano matched him. Antonio groaned to himself. Why did it seem like everyone was against him these days? His boss kept sending him farther and farther away from home. One week it was Chicago, the next he had to fly to Springfield, and in the following week he was expected to teach a cooking class at a culinary college in Augusta. Carmen, though he loved her, never liked to sleep when he wanted to. Night after night of endless crying—how much longer could he take this? Lovino was no lifeline; the Italian refused to 'waste time on him'. Heck, it was like Lovino was constantly on his period! Antonio cursed quietly in Spanish and griped under his breath.

Lovino turned at his husband's sound of pain, "What now, bastard?"

"I'm tired. Can you take Carmen for a bit while I lay down? It won't be for long and she needs a nap," Antonio moaned, "She won't be any trouble."

"Well, if she's not any trouble, then why don't you deal with it? I have something else to handle," Lovino replied.

Antonio cringed, "Lovino, please. I feel like I'm going to pass out," he pleaded as Ragazza rubbed against his ankles on her way to the top step, "And since when did you have a kitten?"

"Then pass out," Lovino advised, "She just showed up on our bedroom couch. I think the cats brought her in. I washed her up. But I don't know whether or not to keep her."

Antonio rubbed his chin, "Look, can the kitten thing wait until later? Feed her and see if she has any injuries."

Lovino's face burned with anger, "I know how to deal with strays, stupid."

"Alright. You know, I bet you just don't want to take Carmen because you don't know how to put her down," Antonio said with a shrug, "Thankfully I know what I'm doing."

Lovino spat, "I can put a baby down!"

"Oh really?"

Lovino answered by snatching Carmen from Antonio's grasp and stomping down the hall to the child's room. Antonio smiled. Reverse psychology had yet to fail him. But now all he hoped for was the Sand Man lending him a few snores.

In Carmen's pastel pink room, the Italian gently put the babe into her crib. He gave the rocking crib a slight shake, the way Carmen liked it. Carmen gurgled in tired joy before falling silent. Lovino stared at her for a moment. He never realized how much like Antonio Carmen looked. She had the same jade green eyes that sparkled when she laughed, tanned skin, rich chocolate hair with a slight curl at the tip of every hair, and the sweetest personality in the world. He caressed her rosy cheek for a minute. Even if Antonio wasn't her father, they looked too much alike. Why was she lovable while her Spanish father wouldn't stop bothering him? If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Lovi, can you hold Carmen for a second, I need to do "insert useless task here?" Lovi, can you take care of the dog I brought into the house? It was just crazed question after crazed question! Lovino groaned. He had his own life as a lawyer and pet owner and recently was dragged into being a parent. Lovino reviewed the last few months in his head as he slowly rocked the crib.

* * *

><p>Antonio had begged four months ago for a child. He came up with charts, pros and cons, pictures, and statistics of all sorts to prove the Fernandez-Carriedo family needed a child. Being male and belonging to a male, Lovino figured he wouldn't have to deal with children. Also he was sort of looking forward to it. A life of just him, the various pets, and his beloved Antonio used to be Lovino's dream. But Antonio's friend Francis and his wife had a child. Soon after Antonio lost interest in Lovino's opinion on kids. Antonio came home with adoption papers one day. He slapped them down on the table and worked for an endless, undistracted six hours. Lovino's help was only required in the form of fingerprints and signatures. The Spaniard was serious about it: not once did he pay any of the animals a second of attention, randomly stop to daydream, or smile at Lovino when the man passed through the room. The endless river of paper kept entering the house. Antonio sent in those two blue sheets, re-signed this one, and sent that over there via email.<p>

Two months went by. Finally, Antonio and Lovino went into an interview. It was an hour long and Lovino had to act sweet the entire time. Normally he could only go for fifteen minutes before breaking. The woman questioning the men asked them about their daily lives, jobs, diets, pets, and a million over personal things. They were approved for adoption a week later. Files and pictures of children in the program were sent to the two. The two men sat at the living table with the off-white folders spread out.

"How about Emily and Elizabeth?" Antonio asked, showing Lovino a picture of two smiling blonde girls, "They're twins! Isn't that the cutest thing? It would so cruel to choose one over the other…"

"So let's choose neither. We can't have a blonde kid. They'll know from the start how different we are from them," Lovino explained, stroking Romano from his lap, "I don't need _two_ kids asking who their real parents are."

"Okay, what about Gerald?" Antonio said.

"I hate freckles. Next."

"Kimberly?"

"Stupid name."

"Lovi! Kimberly is a perfectly good name! It sounds so cheerful."

"Well I hate it. Next."

"Fine, would Carmen do?" Antonio asked.

The tiny girl wrapped in a pink blanket in the picture was seven days old. Her skin was a rich caramel color and her bright green eyes were barely open. According to her profile, her mother had left the maternity ward in the hospital after hours. Carmen was left completely alone with no way to find her parents. The story went on to describe her skin condition. She would have to spend several months in deep darkness because of her overly sensitive skin. After a couple of months, the profile explained, she would be able to continue life as a normal toddler.

Lovino was silent for a few minutes before sighing, "Next."

Pictures and folders were passed around the living room table. Carmen's manila folder was kept under Lovino's hand as he flipped through Amanda's, Charlie's, Amore's, Josh's, and a hundred other orphans' files. He was annoyed that he kept coming back to her. Finally, ninety four files later, Lovino stood and thrust Carmen's folder at Antonio.

"Look, I like Carmen, but since you wanted kids, you decide which one gets to be here," Lovino said, "I'm taking a siesta. If you come to a conclusion, then call me."

Thus, a few days later, Lovino came into the house with Carmen in his arms.

* * *

><p>"Ragazza, eat from your own bowl!" Romano growled, trying to shove the kitten away.<p>

It was the next day. The day before Antonio had came back from the store with a pink kitten bowl for Ragazza and it was now filled with soft kitten food. She had inspected the food before sauntering over to Romano. The kitten was now staring at him with oddly large sapphire eyes. It was actually creepy. The adult feline was so entranced in her endless stare he failed to notice his own food disappearing. Ragazza was completely in Romano's bowl, licking wet food and fried egg off her paws. Romano swatted lightly at her head. The kitten crinkled to the floor as if Romano had whacked her into the black tile.

Ragazza's pupils grew large, "Mommy, why?" she whimpered.

Pitiful cries soon followed. It sounded like long nails being raked down a frosted window. The other pets turned at the spectacle. Iggy chuckled.

"I wonder if animals can be charged with animal cruelty," the Scottish Fold scoffed, licking milk off his lips.

"Oh, shut up, Iggy. Why don't you let her eat out of _your_ bowl if you're so concerned?" Romano hissed, "Ragazza, you have your own plate!"

"Don't want!" she cried.

"What do you mean 'don't want?'" Romano groaned.

Ragazza didn't answer. She sat, crying, in the middle of Romano's breakfast. Antonio, with breakfast for the humans on the table and his chef's outfit on, carried Carmen to her high chair. Carmen had been tired yesterday and finally went to bed when her parents put her to sleep. She yawned sleepily. The tanned man placed the child in her chair with a bowl of baby food. He was spooning puréed fruit into her mouth when soft cries interrupted him.

"What is that?" he asked Lovino as he came downstairs in a smart suit.

Lovino glared at him, "Go figure it out. Move," he ordered as he took over the job of feeding the baby.

Antonio rounded the corner to where the cats fed, "What did you guys do to the kitten? Wait, why is she—I _think_ she—still here? Did Lovi want to keep you?" he asked both himself and Ragazza, "Lovi?"

"What?" Lovino asked, tickling Carmen under her chubby chin.

"Why?" Ragazza cried again, but it came out as, "Mew!"

"This kitten is still here. Did you keep her?" Antonio inquired, stroking her tiny head, "What's wrong? Romano, you are so mean."

Iggy's tongue got its revenge for earlier.

"I decided I might as well keep Ragazza for now. Once she gets old enough, I'll find someone to take her," Lovino explained, "Is there a problem?" and his tone suggested that there had better not be.

"_Nada, mi querido. _I guess she likes Romano, or at least his food bowl," Antonio commented.

Ragazza pouted now. Romano lifted her out of his bowl and into Spain's. The large cat welcomed Ragazza into his ceramic bowl with a nudge of his pink nose. She forgot about being upset with her 'mother' and gulped down tomatoes and cat food. Toma, wanting to get a closer look, stuck his nose in her face while she was eating. To his surprise, Toma jumped away with a scratch on his nose. Romano laughed.

"Now _that_ was deserved!" Romano cried.

"Roma, you're not supposed to encourage violence! Ragazza, that was very bad! Romeo's a good boy. Don't just randomly hit people…animals," Spain said his last sentence a bit choppy.

After breakfast, the humans started on their usually morning rituals. Antonio gave Lovino a kiss as the lawyer walked out the door with his briefcase. America resumed his place in front of the television as there was no way in hell he was missing _Oprah_. Iggy sat down next to the longhair and took a nap. The Spaniard gave the house one last look-around before taking Carmen to Feliciano's house and then to the high class restaurant where he worked. About an hour after the morning retinue was settled, Ragazza started to hang around the back door. Romano walked by on his way back from the litter box and noticed Ragazza pushing on the door, hoping to get it open. Romano was confused, considering the night before the kitten had relieved herself in America's litterbox.

"Razz"—Romano was going to kill America for calling Ragazza that—"What's wrong? Are you bored? Come watch _Oprah_ with me, it'll enlighten your soul and raise your chance of office love!"

"You need to stop watching _Oprah_, it's unhealthy," Toma advised, "Also, uh, how high are those chances again?"

"America, quit calling her that! Ragazza, what's wrong now? Do you see a snowflake or something?" Romano said, "What? Ragazza, wait!"

Ragazza had forced the door open. Romano started to follow her only to be blasted by cold wind. He screamed and dashed under the warm couch. Ragazza's 'father' decided to take over. Spain sauntered out the door, into the frosted garden. The white background didn't help in the search for the mostly colorless kitten. Shaking snow off his waterproof fur, Spain wandered around looking for his 'daughter'. This would be a lot easier if I remembered what I was looking for, Spain thought after a few minutes.

"Hey Roma! What am I out here for?" Spain called inside.

"You are an idiot! You're looking for Ragazza!" Romano called from the safety of the house.

"Oh yeah!"

Ragazza poked her black and white head out of an azalea bush, "Hello!"

"Hi, Ragazza!" Spain cheerfully meowed, racing over to the kitten, "Don't run outside like that, you worry us. Also, it's kind of cold out here. You should get inside."

"Hello!"

"Ragazza, inside, _chica_. It's too cold—Legs! I thought Roma stepped on you!"

Soon Spain was chasing after his ant and Ragazza went back into her bush. Romano sighed: what exactly did he do to deserve this torment? Did he hit the neighbors', the family of the late Berwald, dog too many times? Maybe she _did _want to become friends. How was he supposed to know licking, wagging of the tail, and assorted flowers with a handmade card at your doorstep meant friendship? He was blind to these cultures! Spain was no help in finding Ragazza. As usual, Romano thought, I have to do freaking _everything_ on my own.

"Ragazza!" Romano yelled from the door.

Popping up from behind her bush, Ragazza responded, "Hello, Mommy!"

"Come back inside!" Romano demanded.

Ragazza seemed to think about her options for a moment before going under the azalea bush again. There was a bit of shaking within the dead leaves, making Romano worry. The kitten strolled to the porch with a friend: the black kitten with the white locket. Romano still had light marks from where the brute had slashed him earlier. Locking eyes with Romano, the black kitten hissed like a snake ready to strike.

Ragazza smacked her friend on the head, "Roma, you're knock opposed to en-curry-age vio…via….stop!"

So she can talk, Romano thought. The other kitten quieted. Ragazza had simply repeated what her father had said to silence her companion. Romano would have mentally offered Spain a compliment if he hadn't shown up a second later with an ant on his head. The startled companion kittens leapt under Romano's belly at the appearance of the large feline.

"Hey, now there're two kitties! Aw, this one has a heart shaped locket on his chest! Ragazza, is this your friend?" Spain asked.

"That's the bastard that scratched after I tried to help him! He fell from a window and still swiped at me!" Romano accused, "He's covered in fleas and who knows what else-."

"So was Ragazza but we took her in," Spain gravely stated, "Why is he different? Ragazza ate all of your food, Ragazzo—isn't that 'boy' in Italian?—hit you because you scared him. People make mistakes. Animals do the same thing. Look, after a bath, meal, and the humans meeting him, we'll decide what to do. Okay?"

Ragazza and the newly named Ragazzo watched as the adults argued for a few more minutes. After awhile, Romano accepted his defeat and went inside without another meow. He hated and loved Spain when he used reasoning like he could. Besides, what were the chances that the humans would even ponder on letting such a moody, flea-bitten, and rude animal into their house?

* * *

><p>What are the chances indeed? I'm back after a near three months of flue, new animals, and several other school related things. But this has been updated so haha! Stay tuned for the last installment! Who knows, there may even be a few side stories (not on this story, but as their own stories) later...hm-m!<p> 


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